A little while ago, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer declared a state of emergency due to the weather storms that are hitting the state. The Governor has also called for activation of the State Emergency Operations Center.
On the same day as California declared a state of emergency, Governor of Arizona Jan Brewer signed a declaration of emergency for her state after it has been experiencing severe storms, according to the Office of the Governor. The Governor’s declaration will release $200,000 from the Governor’s Emergency Funds, which currently contains approximately $2.7 million, to pay for emergency response and recovery expenses from the weather events, reports KTAR. A massive winter storm slammed into Arizona on Thursday as the storms have flooded highways, forced evacuations and suspended or cancelled flights at the Phoenix Airport, which has left many travelers stranded because of poor visibility, according to AZ Central. A tornado warning has been issued for the La Paz, Maricopa, Yuma and Pinal counties. It’s expected that the heavy rains, as much as five inches, will plague the state between 2 p.m. and midnight. The National Weather Service issued a flash flood watch for Phoenix with high winds ranging up to 60 MPH. In northern Arizona, heavy snow is expected to hit, which has caused Coconino and Navajo counties to declare emergencies. Large parts of Interstate 17 between Phoenix and Flagstaff were ordered to close. UPDATE #1: A tornado near the Arizona-California border has damaged high-voltage poles and fell on top of a car with a person in it, according to the Star Tribune. UPDATE #2: The Associated Press is reporting that more than 5,000 people in the Phoenix area are without power, while at least 2,000 residents in the Flagstaff area are also without electricity. 15,000 more customers are without power in the Tohono O'odham Nation near Tuscon. UPDATE #3: The Coconino County Sheriff's Office and the Coconino National Forest are issuing an avalanche warning on the San Francisco Peaks, reports KTAR.
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