Tempe microburst anniversary: Residents reflect one year after historic storm

TEMPE, Ariz. - A year after a severe microburst slammed parts of Tempe, leaving hundreds of people without a home, residents are reflecting on the destruction and the progress made since the storm hit.

‘It was just horrible’

Local perspective:

At the Sentry Apartment Complex one year ago, dozens of trees were downed and several units were almost cut in half. Thanks to repairs, the complex is almost unrecognizable, but residents have not forgotten what it looked like.

It was the worst storm in Tempe's history.

"Like nothing I've ever seen out here before," said Andre, a resident at Sentry. "The aftermath, it just looked crazy. Everything was flooded. It was just horrible."

The devastating microburst knocked out power to over 30,000 people and damaged more than 550 homes and 70 businesses. Five buildings at the Sentry Apartments, located near Mill Avenue and Southern Avenue, were condemned.

"A lot of devastating damage that was done to this complex. There was a tree knocked into my neighbor's apartment right there. The roof caved in right here," said Isaac Guzman, a Sentry resident.

"It was like I left my apartment complex to go grocery shopping, and I came back, and it was like a completely different complex," said Mia, another Sentry resident.

Dig deeper:

Guzman said his unit was the only one still livable in his building.

"They pretty much redid the whole place. It took about a year," Guzman said. "We were the only ones living in there for a while, everybody else moved out."

It was a similar scene at other complexes on nearby Baseline Road.

"Little by little, they've been fixing it, but no progress," said Steven, a resident at one of the complexes. "We saw a tree just land on top of that part right there ... Huge tree right in the middle."

The 90 mph winds ripped off the roof of an industrial complex also on Baseline Road. The owner says rebuilding has been a slow process.

"We're only 90 days into our approvals from the insurance company," said Jim Murphy of MHM Builders. "Most of the holdup again was just all the pre-design, redesign and the city ... and therefore waiting on the insurance company to approve us."

Community Comes Together:

As Tempe reflects on one year since the landmark storm, neighbors say one thing they will never forget is how people showed up for one another in the aftermath.

"Honestly, everyone around here had to come together and just be like, we gotta help each other, because we don't have any other options," Mia said.

What's next:

At a press conference on Oct. 13, Tempe Fire said it received more than 200 calls that day, which is about three times more than the average. The city says it has since updated Tempe's Emergency Operations Plan to be better prepared if another historic storm hits Tempe again.