TEMPE, Ariz. – Cleanup efforts continue in Tempe after a microburst storm, described by Mayor Corey Woods as the community’s worst in history, ripped through the city on Monday, damaging dozens of businesses and displacing dozens of residents from their homes.

What we know:

Mayor Woods officially signed an emergency declaration for Tempe, stating the action is necessary to secure federal and state funding for relief efforts. He and U.S. Rep. Greg Stanton held a joint recovery update on Oct. 17, emphasizing the need for community involvement to expedite the return to normalcy.

The devastation was widespread, with winds tearing trees out of the ground across the city, including in the hardest-hit Brittany Lane neighborhood.

“Our community services staff tells me that we anticipate we will lose approximately 500 trees just within the Tempe Parks and Recreation system,” Woods said. He added he was proud of how community members have shown up for one another during the crisis.

Local perspective:

Tree service crews have been working around the clock since the storm hit. Ethan Fish, a crew lead at B&C Tree Service, said his team was in the Brittany Lane community within an hour of the microburst and has been there for four straight days.

“It’s been crazy,” Fish said. “We’ve been out here every day since.”

Crews estimate between 75 and 100 trees were lost in the Brittany Lane community alone. Neighbors documented the aftermath, which included flooding, property damage, and trees snapped like twigs, with one resident comparing the severity of the storm to a hurricane.

B&C crews expect to finish clearing the Brittany Lane neighborhood within two more days before moving on to other hundreds of downed trees across Tempe.

What you can do:

Click here if you’d like to donate supplies to those in need of help, and to take the storm damage survey.

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