UPDATE: Less than 300 TEP customers without power

TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) - Tens of thousands of people across Tucson were without power this weekend after a major storm Friday night.

Over 56,000 TEP customers lost power, but crews had restored power to almost everyone by Sunday night.

The remaining 275 customers may not be able to turn the lights on until Monday morning.

Residents said this has been one of the most damaging storms in years.

“Unbelievable,” said Carol Davis, a Tucson resident. “We never had anything like that happen in our neighborhood before.”

To restore power, many customers were transferred out of their damaged circuits and into functioning circuits. Initially, TEP asked customers to conserve as much energy as possible. By Sunday morning, TEP lifted that request.

TEP opened two ice distribution centers to help customers without power. Those locations are:

Albertson’s, 1350 N. Silverbell Rd., north of Speedway
5550 E Grant Road, east of Craycroft Road, in the Chuze Fitness parking lot.

TEP said it will post repair updates at https://www.tep.com/major-storm-update/

Tucson’s east side was hit hard, especially on Golf Links Road, where at least three polls are down. With power lines dangling, almost touching the ground, safety was a major concern.

Traffic was redirected with the assistance of TPD, and no pedestrians were allowed on the sidewalk to prevent any injuries. Another safety concern is for the TEP workers, as they are out in the field during the hottest hours of the day.

“We don’t want them to be overworked, we don’t want to keep them in working conditions that are unsafe,” said Barrios.

“So as they reached their time limits, they get to go home and take a rest, and that’s when we get fresh employees that have been waiting in the wings so to speak, so that they can continue those repairs.”

If you happen to come across a downed power line, do not touch it, leave it alone, and make sure to report it to TEP or call 911.

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