10,000 still without power in metro Phoenix day after storm

Thousands of homes and businesses were still without power Tuesday evening, almost 24 hours after a massive storm hit the Phoenix area and put thousands of residents in the dark.

At the height of the storm, electricity had been cut to more than 60,000 customers.

A representative from Arizona Public Service reported that power has been restored to 40,000 residents, but about 10,000 customers remained without power as of about 10 p.m. The utility reported on its Twitter account that most customers would have their power restored by late afternoon or early evening, but outages will continue in some areas until Wednesday, as crews anticipated working overnight to rectify the situation.

PHOENIX AREA CLEANS UP FROM STORM

APS spokeswoman Anna Haberlein said it would be distributing 10-pound bags of ice until 7 p.m. Tuesday at Encanto Park on 15th Avenue between McDowell and Thomas roads in Phoenix. The utility would also be reimbursing affected customers for the cost of up to 40 pounds of wet ice or 20 pounds of dry ice with receipt, according to Haberlein.

The majority of APS customers without power were within the central Phoenix corridor from Buckeye to Camelback and Interstate 17 to 40th Street, Haberlein said.

Salt River Project crews were working to restore power to less than 100 customers as of 9 p.m. Most of the remaining outages were located north of Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, according to SRP spokesman Jeff Lane.

SRP was distributing free bags of ice on Tuesday at the 28th Street and Indian School Road QuikTrip to affected customers in Phoenix. Lane said power should be restored to all customers by early evening Tuesday.

PHOENIX STORMS, AUG. 29-31

The city of Scottsdale had opened an emergency cooling station to assist about 900 residents still without power as of 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, according to Brent Olson, the city's emergency manager. Power is expected to be restored this evening, Olson said, but affected residents are welcome to stay at the cooling station at Granite Reef Senior Center, 1700 N. Granite Reef Road, until then.

The American Red Cross Greater Phoenix Chapter on Tuesday opened a shelter for persons displaced from the storm due to flooding damage or lack of electricity. The shelter set up at Griffith Elementary School, 4505 E. Palm Lane in Phoenix, will be open overnight and volunteers will have cots, food and water for people who need a place to stay, according to a Red Cross Facebook post.