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AZ groups still dealing with microburst aftermath
It has been a week since a powerful microburst hit parts of Tempe and left a number of homes and businesses damaged, and some groups are still dealing with the storm's aftermath. FOX 10's Nicole Krasean reports.
TEMPE, Ariz. - It's been a week since a powerful microburst hit the Tempe area, damaging homes and businesses and leaving people with a ton of short-term and long-term repair needs.
Now, two organizations are hoping the community can help them with those needs.
Big picture view:
Both the Hall of Flame and Childsplay Theatre said the microburst hit quickly and fiercely, and the storm has forced them to evaluate not just immediate repairs, but also long-term infrastructure improvements.
"It's a beautiful day today, it was not a beautiful day then," said Mark Moorhead, a Curator of Education at the Hall of Flame. "In 10, 12 minutes, our Hall of Heroes was flooded. Big puddles, like lakes, all through the thing."
Museum staff jumped to action to save important displays.
"We had to pick all these up, and they're not lightweight," Moorhead said. "I had to do a bunch of them myself and get them up on wooden blocks to keep the water from polluting them."
Dig deeper:
A few miles south, the Childsplay Theatre campus experienced extensive damage to multiple classrooms from the storm.
"One of the classrooms was a movement studio with a sprung floor and that floor now needs to be completely replaced, as well as all of the ceilings in the three classrooms, carpeting, and a lot of other things," said Steve Martin, managing director of the Childsplay Theatre campus.
The organization is finding ways to keep classes going by utilizing a nearby elementary school, but it comes at a cost,.
"We have to pay rent for that, and so, there's an additional expense to that," Martin said.
Childsplay is now seeking donations, as they anticipate tens of thousands of dollars in repair costs.
"We don't know how soon it's gonna be before we can get back into these rooms and continue our classes," Martin said. "We have about 1,500 kids a year that go through the Childsplay Academy so this is a big blow to us."
Meanwhile, a larger drainage system project is being proposed at the Hall of Flame.
"We need one that's gonna curve around the museum and run all the way off to the west there, and we hope will drain down there to the big gully right behind the museum all the way down at the other end, so it's not a little project," Moorhead said.
What you can do:
Both groups are soliciting donations online.
Donate to Childsplay
https://www.childsplayaz.org/donate
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