TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Monsoon brought downtown and midtown Tucson a one-two punch of wind, and water,
Usually dry washes like the Rillito have been running again
Tucson Firefighters rushed from one water rescue to the next, like a car stopped by high water at Fifth and Sahuara and one at first and Alvernon. Tucson firefighters say in just an hour and a half they responded to 25 monsoon calls.
Fifteen involved drivers or people stranded in high water.
People without high water in the way could have found a tree blocking their path.
“We started getting the calls about noon and then they started trickling in every 20 minutes, half hour, hour, nonstop.”
Danny Arbizo says he’s been working monsoon days like this for 23 years, coming out, to clear out, the trees that monsoon knocked into the streets.
As we talked to him, he had 12 locations and expected more calls to come in.
“We’re talking trees down from the east side, here around Pantano, all the way to downtown.”
He says the city keeps two ten person crews ready to clear messes like this—and on day two of monsoon 2024, they’re just getting started.
