“The whole house shook”: Scottsdale residents on the storm
Amy Marrero talks about the storm Tuesday night in Scottsdale.
An apartment complex in south Scottsdale was quiet Wednesday morning, but at least one resident was still worried after weathering a thunderstorm the night before that forced dozens of residents to evacuate.
Amy Marrero was getting ready for bed at her home in an apartment complex on Hayden Road near East Roosevelt Street around 9:30 p.m. when she suddenly heard heavy rain and wind outside, followed by a loud explosion and the shattering of her bedroom window.
“I actually screamed. Before I opened the door, I looked through my kitchen and there I saw this big tree,” Marrero said. “It was sad to see all this disaster.”
The National Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm warning on Tuesday with wind gusts of 60 miles per hour. Damage to roofs, facades and trees is expected. Areas such as Scottsdale and Phoenix are affected.
Marrero’s apartment complex had several downed trees, including a large one that was uprooted. An apartment balcony and a man’s car on the northeast side of the building were two of the apartments that appeared to have sustained the most damage.
Firefighters helped residents trapped in an apartment, according to a Scottsdale Fire post at 10:49 p.m. Tuesday on X (formerly Twitter). No injuries were reported Tuesday evening as firefighters evacuated 16 more apartments until the building was cleared, the fire department said.
The social media post included photos of a large uprooted tree and another tree with its trunk broken off. A video accompanying the post showed what appeared to be tree debris blocking a slippery road.
Marrero has experience with severe weather, having lived in Puerto Rico and been exposed to devastating hurricanes until she moved to the Valley nine years ago. Still, she was shaken Tuesday night. “We didn’t sleep, I was very nervous all night. Honestly, it’s like a new fear has come over me,” Marrero said. “I’m just worried about everyone, you know? Some people have lost their cars. There’s so much damage.”
National Weather Service meteorologist Isaac Smith said there was a 20 to 30 percent chance of isolated thunderstorms in the Phoenix area Wednesday evening, confined to higher elevations.
The high temperature expected for Wednesday is 40 degrees, which is cooler than normal for this time of year, Smith added.
