As more storms roll into the Valley, Mesa residents still reeling from monsoon damage

MESA, Ariz. (3TV/CBS 5) — Last week, the monsoon brought rain and wind to the East Valley, with some parts of Mesa getting the worst the storms had to offer. In some cases, roofs were ripped off of apartments, leaving them exposed. Now with more storms rolling in, affected residents are trying to salvage anything they can.

“I thought I was hearing footsteps. But it was just my roof flying away,” said Angelica Garcia.

It’s like something out of a movie, Garcia said. She lost nearly all her belongings to monsoon damage last Wednesday, July 26. “Very, very emotional, honestly. I don’t have anything. All I have is in my room,” she said.

In the five days since the storm, she’s been slowly digging her way through the apartment, or what’s left of it. “I’m trying, this apartment, honestly, we’ve lost all hope for it,” she said.

With more severe weather on the way, she realized she needed to act fast. “I feel very scared because, I mean, it’s pretty bad right now and I don’t want it to get any worse. I don’t want to think about how worse it can get,” she said.

But she might not even be able to keep some of her property that is salvageable. “There’s not a lot I can take. I don’t have space, I don’t have storage,” Garcia said.

Roger Baker, who lives across the street from Garcia, is worried about the rest of the monsoon season. “I’m kinda ignorant of what to do to fortify the places or whatever. With those strong winds… I’m not sure what to do,” he said. “It’s scary; I’ve never seen anything like it.”

He says seeing the roofs torn off is a painful reminder of how powerful the storms can be. “We were fortunate enough the first time to have not sustained any injury,” Baker said.

Arizona’s Family was told the residents haven’t received any timeline as to when they can expect repairs to start. They’re worried the damage will only get worse.

Angelica Garcia has started a GoFundMe to help replace items. Tap/click here to learn more and to donate.

See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it.

Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description.

Copyright 2023 KTVK/KPHO. All rights reserved.