Lake Havasu City gets $4 million for firefighters, equipment, training

A popular tourist destination in Arizona is getting federal funds to boost its emergency response. Lake Havasu City will get nearly $4.5 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA. About $300,000 will go toward training and equipment, including a system to reduce firefighters exposure to exhaust by capturing and extracting diesel fumes when trucks are started in fire stations. Lake Havasu City will hire 11 firefighters using a $4 million grant to cover salaries and benefits for three years. Applications will be accepted starting in October. Lake Havasu says the extra staff will mean better service and faster response times. Every year, hundreds of thousands of visitors enjoy Lake Havasu’s beaches, parks and water sports. The city is located about 200 miles northwest of Phoenix.
KJZZ-FM 91.5 Phoenix

Officials give update after Monday’s tornado north of Williams

On the afternoon of Monday, October 3, 2022, Coconino County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) as well as the County Emergency Management Department (CCEM) began to receive reports of indications that a possible tornado had touched down in the Junipine Estates neighborhood ten miles north of Williams, Ariz. Later in the afternoon the weather event was confirmed by the National Weather Service in Flagstaff as an EF-1 Tornado, with sustained winds between 86 – 110 m.p.h. Sheriff’s deputies and personnel with High Country Fire & Rescue were first on the scene, establishing an emergency command post at the intersection of Buckridge Drive and Coyote Lane in the neighborhood. CCSO Search and Rescue performed a thorough on the ground search of all damaged properties in the area, searching any location for possible casualties.
Arizona Emergency Information Network

Yarnell Fire District to host bistro dinner and dance

Arizona Department of Transportation’s Northwest District Community Relations Project Manager, Michele. E. Beggs, stated, “ADOT is currently conducting a Roadway Safety Assessment (RSA) for US 89 in Yarnell. As part of this process, we are planning to provide community members an opportunity to share their concerns and input through a survey within the next week. The survey feedback we receive will be shared with the RSA team and ADOT Northwest District engineering staff. This will be the best method to share your thoughts and concerns with ADOT. I also want to clarify that I will be the community’s point of contact for ADOT and will document and share your emails with the RSA team and district staff.”
The Wickenburg Sun

Many without power, parts of I-17 reopen after dust storm slams Phoenix area

VIDEOS: Many of people are still without power after damage was reported all over the Valley as a dust storm moved from the west into parts of the Phoenix area on Monday afternoon. Arizona Department of Transportation officials say I-17 southbound is closed at Dunlap and Peoria avenues as a precaution after strong winds hit the Valley Metro’s light rail bridge project near the freeway. Northbound I-17 reopened at Dunlap just before 10 p.m., but officials didn’t say when southbound would open. Arizona’s Family meterologists report wind gusts were over 50 miles per hour in the area. APS reports around 1,000 customers are without power in the Phoenix area. For SRP, around 200 customers don’t have power. At the height of the storm, over 80,000 people reported outages.
KTVK-TV CBS 3 & KPHO-TV CBS 5 Phoenix (AZ Family)

Maricopa County family forced to start over after car crashed into home, started fire

VIDEO: Not staying at her home, in her bed, possibly saved Samantha Cueva’s life. “If I were to be home, that night, I wouldn’t be alive standing here today,” Cueva said. On Saturday, a car plowed through Cueva's bedroom, ending up in the hallway of her Gila River Indian Community home. A loud boom woke Cueva's mother up. Her mom and their family dog were asleep on the opposite end of the house when the car crashed in around 1:30 a.m. near 88th Street and Hunt Highway. Cueva’s mother initially thought someone had broken into the home, so she locked herself in her room. But suddenly began to smell smoke, and when she went to investigate, she saw her daughter’s room engulfed in flames. “My mom called me, and I could hear the fire alarm go off. I told her to get out of the house right away,” Cuevas said.
KPNX-TV NBC 12 Mesa

Monsoon rescue numbers down from 2021; Tucson firefighters still stress safety

Monsoon season 2022 is officially over, but that doesn’t mean the storms are finished and with storms comes the possibility of water rescues. According to the Tucson Fire Department, there are two kinds of calls they get when it comes to water rescues: “SWIFT” calls are for a person stuck in a wash or fast-moving water. A “STRND” call is made when the department is dispatched to help a driver stranded because of flood waters. The monsoon goes from June 15 until Sept. 30 and during that time TFD made 39 rescues - 21 SWIFT rescues and 18 STRND rescues. Those numbers are down from 2021's total of 88 rescues - 47 SWIFT and 41 STRND. TFD says that just because it might not be raining where you are, the washes and flood-prone areas can turn dangerous very quickly.
KOLD-TV CBS 13 Tucson

EF-1 tornado rips through community, damaging homes north of Williams

VIDEOS: Officials confirmed an EF-1 tornado ripped through northern Arizona, causing damage to homes on Monday afternoon. The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office says between 8-10 homes in the Junipine Estates community, eight miles north of Williams, were damaged. The National Weather Service reported winds in the area ranging between 86-110 miles per hour. Trees were snapped and uprooted in the rural community, while parts of homes and sheds were littered across roads and yards. Residents say the tornado hit around 1:30 p.m. Among those with their homes damaged was Teresa Schmidt. She says her wooden shed was torn apart, half of her porch is gone, and her house shifted half a foot, causing cracks in the walls. Schmidt added one wall is leaning sideways, and beams are about to come through the ceiling.
KOLD-TV CBS 13 Tucson