BULLHEAD CITY, AZ — Officials say another 6,300 customers have had their power restored as of Tuesday afternoon. More than 36,000 customers were left without power after a wind storm took out more than 50 distribution poles that provided power to the area.
As of 2 p.m. Tuesday there are now 1,700 customers who remain without power.
MEC said wind microbursts, reported over 80 mph, left more than 36,000 residents without power for more than 20 hours.
The power company says they hope to restore power to Loredo Village, Fox Creek and Laughlin Ranch by Tuesday.
It was announced Tuesday that the Salvation Army Southwest Division will deploy Emergency Disaster Services (EDS) to aid those affected by Sunday's power outages.
EDS says they are plants to set up a canteen in the area and serve dinner Tuesday evening and breakfast Wednesday morning and will reassess if needed.
Last night with wind microbursts reporting over 80 mph, the storm left more than 36,000 residents without power for 20 hours. Currently, there are 8,000 members remaining without power, with crews continuing to work through the night to restore power. pic.twitter.com/Esje9ky2ar
— Mohave Electric Cooperative (@MohaveElectric) September 5, 2022
As of late Sunday night, MEC said some outages would be fixed in approximately 12 hours while others may take more than 24 hours to restore.
Wesley and Gina Green were one of the families that lost power. Adding to the challenge, their four month old baby boy was struggling to sleep in home without A/C so the three of them and their dog drove to another family member’s home.
“After about 3-4 hours of sitting in it, we realized we can’t do this with our child anymore, he couldn’t sleep,” said Wesley.
He says the storm last about 45 minutes. At times, the sands picked up by an estimated 80 MPH winds were so dense, he couldn’t see his neighbors house just feet away from his.
According to the Mohave Electric Cooperative, “There is Cooling Center at the Sunrise Elementary School in Bullhead City, 2645 Landon Drive, Bullhead City, AZ., and at Mohave Valley Fire Station #81 at 1451 Willow Drive, Mohave Valley, AZ.”
Additionally, there are reports of a water shortage in multiple neighborhoods due to the power outage.
The City is asking individuals city-wide to conserve water until power is fully restored throughout.
So far no injuries have been reported from the downed power poles.
The main reason for the extensive outage was no access to the bulk electric grid.
According to officials, the transmission provider’s 230 kV line was down regardless of MEC’s distribution system, which shut off MEC’s ability to distribute power to members. Once connected to the 230 kV transmission line, crews were able to re-energize multiple substations to reroute and restore power to the majority of members.
Water pressure remains an issue throughout parts of the city due to the power outage. A lack of power, and several aged back-up generators at well sites, have prevented Bullhead City Utilities from being able to fully keep up with the city’s demand for water.
Some area schools are expected to close tomorrow, September 6th.
Residents are told to check official school sources for more information regarding local school closures.
