Eloy homes destroyed in Wednesday's monsoon storm

ELOY, AZ - The cleanup begins after strong winds toppled telephone poles and razed buildings.

The mayhem began Wednesday evening when monsoon storms generated heavy winds and dust.

Strong gusts blew through the desert, pounding buildings, ripping sheet metal walls off pole barns and in some cases, blowing down homes.

One home we saw was barely recognizable if not for clues scattered about the desert floor.

Recliners, baby strollers, televisions and toilets were spread out in such a way, it appeared they fell from the sky.

The debris from one home formed a cloud of projectiles which assaulted the home next door.

Pieces of wood and plastic were driven through the exterior walls into the home.

Panes of glass were shattered from the bombardment.

Rick Hall has lived in Eloy for some time, but says he's never seen storm damage of this magnitude near his home.

"Only on TV in places like Miami," said the stocky man beneath a well worn cowboy hat.

His son, also named Rick, nearly lost his four wheel drive utility vehicle.

"The wind picked it up, hit the basketball hoop, threw it over those trees and blew it 200 feet into a field."

Remarkably, the vehicle landed on its wheels with only minor damage to the roof.

What is more remarkable, is that nobody was seriously hurt.

Those who live in the destroyed homes were not in them at the time the winds hit.

While law enforcement helicopters circled above surveying the damage, an official explanation of the weather phenomenon has not been released.

While the word tornado will come up if you ask many of the people in Eloy, more likely straight line winds or a microburst caused the damage.