UPDATE: The Bullhead City School District has issued the cancellation of classes for all pre-kindergarten through eighth-grade students for Tuesday, Sept. 6.
The public is encouraged to check official school sources for more information regarding local school closures.
LAS VEGAS (KLAS)– Thousands of people lost power in Bullhead City due to damage caused by severe thunderstorms.
The Bullhead City Police Department sent a tweet Sunday evening, advising residents not to call 911 regarding outages, and to avoid the roads if possible, as emergency crews work to repair damaged power poles and clean debris.
According to police, over 35,000 residents experienced power outages, and more than 50 distribution poles were knocked down.
Current outage conditions
On Monday evening, several Bullhead City neighborhoods along Bullhead Parkway remained without power. There is no current estimate for when power will be restored, according to Bullhead City officials.
Mohave Electric Cooperative (MEC) is the official source for information regarding the status of the power service outage in Bullhead City. Residents are encouraged to follow MEC on social media for official updates.
City officials also said they continue to experience water pressure issues due to the power outage and are asking residents to conserve water.
A lack of power, and several aged backup generators at well sites, have prevented Bullhead City Utilities from being able to fully keep up with the city’s demand for water, the city told 8 News Now Monday night.
Emergency Shelter information
Emergency shelters remained open Monday afternoon and will continue to stay open until all electricity is restored, Bullhead City Police said in a Facebook post.
8 News Now spent some time on Monday at Sunrise Elementary School which is serving as a cooling shelter and it was full for much of the day as people walked in to get some relief from the heat.
The elementary school is one of four shelters that opened immediately after thunderstorms hit the area on Sunday.
The storms were so severe they wiped out the power which caused residents such as Anthony Cascaneda to scramble to find relief from the heat.
“We went to the casino across the street and stayed there till about 4 am then it got real late, so we heard about this place and have been here ever since,” he told 8 News Now.
Cascaneda sought shelter at the elementary school with his family.
“It felt good to feel the nice cool air and then we found one of these mats on the ground, where we are able to lay on them,” he added.
The storms also took out power poles throughout the city, and Mojave Electric Cooperative said 21,000 residents were left without electricity, on Monday afternoon a water outage was also issued and believed to be caused by the power outage.
The shelters are also allowing animals inside in an effort to assist owners who might otherwise feel compelled to stay home without power.
Bullhead City’s population is just over 40,000 people and it’s located nearly 100 miles south of Las Vegas.
Cooling Station
- WHERE: Sunrise Elementary School, 2645 Landon Drive, Bullhead City, AZ
- NOTE: To remain open until power is fully restored
