TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — A severe storm swept through Tucson on Sunday, July 14, causing damage to the historic Evergreen Cemetery on the city's north side.
The storm uprooted several trees and left the cemetery grounds scattered with branches and fallen debris.
According to Cathy Fiorelli, the managing partner at Evergreen Cemetery, approximately a dozen trees were uprooted by the storm's powerful winds.
Despite the significant damage to the cemetery's landscape, Fiorelli confirmed that no graves were impacted by the fallen trees. She reassured the public that the tree roots do not extend deeply enough to disturb the caskets, which are safely buried six feet below the surface.
The damage this time around, while significant, was not as severe as the storm Evergreen experienced three years ago, which uprooted about 30 trees, Fiorelli stated.
Cleanup efforts began early Monday morning, with crews working diligently to clear the debris and assess the full extent of the damage. Some areas of the cemetery have been cordoned off to ensure the safety of visitors while the cleanup is underway.
Fiorelli mentioned that the cemetery is currently reaching out to local tree removal services to expedite the process of clearing the uprooted trees. Once they have the trees removed, they will be able to fully evaluate the damage and plan the next steps.
MORE STORM PHOTOS: Monsoon damage Sunday, July 14
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Joel Foster is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9 who previously worked as an English teacher in both Boston and the Tucson area. Joel has experience working with web, print and video in the tech, finance, nonprofit and the public sectors. In his off-time, you might catch Joel taking part in Tucson's local comedy scene. Share your story ideas with Joel at joel.foster@kgun9.com, or by connecting on Facebook, Instagram or X.
