Tucson experienced a rough Friday afternoon as the monsoon swept through the city, bringing with it strong winds, heavy rains, and hail. The severe weather caused widespread damage and resulted in power outages across the region.
One local family faced the brunt of the storm, with their home sustaining severe roof damage.
Albert Vargas, who returned home from work, was shocked by the extent of the destruction.
“I’ve been in strong storms, but this is a first. It felt like a tornado,” Vargas said.
The Vargas family found themselves displaced on Friday due to the severe storm.
“We couldn’t even get home. I was coming home from work and I was parked down the street because I couldn’t see anything. When we got home, we found [the damage],” he said.
The storm severely damaged their roof, allowing heavy rains to flood the interior.
Vargas’ grandchildren, visiting from California, were inside the house when everything unfolded. Fortunately, he said, no one was hurt.
“It’s mostly water damage. The top of the roof, or the roofing paper is all gone, it’s in the backyard,” he said. “We were able to move everything away from the water. It’s mostly water damage, there’s water pouring in still.”
Their home is now flooded and without power, but Albert Vargas expressed gratitude that no one was injured during the calamity.
“That’s the good thing, we can replace everything else, but we couldn’t replace anybody getting hurt, so we’re really thankful for that,” Vargas said.
Albert Vargas stated that the four children would stay with other family members overnight, while the rest of the family plans to assess the damage in its entirety Saturday morning.