Mesa school set to reopen after monsoon damage

MESA, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) — An elementary school in Mesa that was damaged in last week’s monsoon storm has a reopening date. Officials say Zaharis Elementary School will have students return to campus on Wednesday. Originally, they were hoping to have students back on Tuesday, Sept. 19. However, teachers needed time to prepare their classrooms for the kids after the roof was damaged. Some classrooms saw water get in. Teachers have worked with their students to give them at home since the storm damaged the building on Sept. 12. “We’ve worked to create a safe environment for our students to return to campus. Repairs will be ongoing but will not impede learning,” Mesa Public Schools spokeswoman Jen Snyder said in an emailed statement.

On Tuesday, strong monsoon storms came in from the west and swept through the Valley. Most of the damage came in Mesa, along the Loop 202 Red Mountain Freeway. Zaharis Elementary is located at Ellsworth and McKellips roads, about three miles east of the freeway. At Mesa’s Falcon Field, winds were up to 90 miles per hour, and at least 20 planes that were tied down outside were damaged when the storm hit. Some flipped upside down. At least five hangers were damaged.

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