Storm rips roof off Buckeye high school

BUCKEYE, AZ - The haboob and its aftermath have left quite a mark in the West Valley; the storm ripped the roof off of Youngker High School in Buckeye.

Video showed large sheets of the roof ripped off of the high school, near Interstate 10 and Watson Road. The most extensive damage was done to one of the classroom buildings.

The Buckeye Union High School District told AB 15 their insurance company has estimated the repair costs at between $300,000 and $500,000.

Mela Christiansen brought her children to the school for lunch, only to find it closed because of the damage.

"It was crazy, just absolutely crazy,” Mela said remembering the storm the night before. “I walked outside and the wind was bad. The kids wanted to come outside with me, but of course I wouldn't let them."

Her young son Andrew said the storm didn't just knock the roof off of the school, it also knocked out the power to his home.

"It went black-out once and then it turned back on, then it went off again for the whole night," Andrew told me. "My sister was kind of scared, but I wasn't."

The Buckeye Union High school District says their insurance should cover the damage costs, but the bigger question is if students will have a roof to cover them when school starts August 3rd.

"School starts next month and they've done so much to this school,” Mela said. “This is a fairly new school. I hate to see the damage like this."

The school district says they are confident workers will have the school roof repaired in time for the new school year. They tell ABC15 there is a back-up plan to accommodate students if the building is not ready.