Thousands still without power after storm

VIEW/SUBMIT PHOTOS
VIEW SLIDESHOW
DENVER - Power crews are continuing their work, trying  to restore power to the thousands of customers left in the dark after Monday night's string of severe storms.
- Storm leaves fences down, pets missing

The storms brought heavy hail and rain and knocked out power to thousands of households.

Xcel Energy says about 50,000 people lost power in the metro area at the height of the storm, mainly on the western side of the city. A total of 90,000 homes lost power at some point.

As of 6 a.m. on Wednesday, about 12,000 customers remained without power. A spokesperson with Xcel Energy says the damage was more severe than they expected. At times up to seventy crews were working to restore power.

Officials with the power company say they hope to have power restored to 80 percent of the homes by Wednesday morning, and all the power restored by Wednesday at 6 p.m.

Xcel says they lost 25 poles during the storm.

According to 9NEWS Chief Meteorologist Kathy Sabine, the severe weather developed quickly just before 10 p.m. and swept through the area, moving from the northwest to the southeast.

No serious injuries were reported but the resulting damage is extensive.

Several areas reported widespread street flooding, huge amounts of hail (some areas like Arvada literally had piles of marble-sized hail that were several inches deep), and many lightning strikes. There were also gusty winds that blew over fences and knocked over trees.

Kathy says straight-line winds are probably the source of much of the damage, but a funnel cloud was spotted over Englewood and it touched down as a tornado at 11:08 p.m.

According to Kathy, a tornado also was spotted at 11:39 p.m. on Monday near Castle Rock.

A spokeswoman with the Wheat Ridge Police Department says that there was widespread damage across the western Denver suburbs. The worst damage reported in their city was on West 44th Avenue between Holland and Youngfield Streets.

Numerous tree limbs and power lines were down in the area, prompting officers to warn residents to beware of live power lines and blacked-out intersections. They say motorists should treat those intersections as four-way stops and the city was closed until noon.

Schools damaged

A spokesperson for the Jefferson County School district says the storms caused damage to at least 40 of its schools and district buildings - totaling an estimated $500,000. The damage included broken windows and skylights, and significant damage to trees and landscaping.

Schools damaged by the storm included:

Arvada West High
Belmar Elementary
Blue Heron Elementary
Campbell Elementary
Dennison Elementary
Dutch Creek Elementary
Eiber Elementary
Green Gables Elementary
Kendrick Lakes Elementary
Lakewood High
Ralston Valley High

At Lakewood High School, officials says 15 skylights were broken in a small gymnasium, while Fletcher Miller School in Lakewood had more than 20 skylights damaged.

Crews were out at Jeffco schools on Tuesday morning trying to board up windows ahead of an expected storm on Tuesday.

Several Jeffco school buses sustained significant hail damage as well, according to officials.

The storm's aftermath

Arvada resident Gary Smock talked about the storm Tuesday morning.

"[I] started hearing it rain and then a little bit of hail. Then it got harder and really hailed. Then it kind of stopped. Then rain came and the winds coming from the north and its just kind of blowing horizontally.

I've never seen anything like that in my life and I've been through a hurricane in Houston, nothing like this," he said.

One caller to 9NEWS reported that a trampoline was flipped over onto a car and the wind blew out a window in Arvada.

There was street flooding at 44th and Kipling and a tree crashed into a house on West 70th Avenue and another crashed into a house on Hoyt Street in Wheat Ridge.

Near 6th Avenue and Kipling Street, windows were broken and trees were stripped and the hail also damaged a pickup truck.

Jim Mascarenaz lives in Wheat Ridge and says the storms were surreal.

"It was like, I guess a hurricane and I've never been in a hurricane or a tornado and it was so loud I couldn't even talk to my wife. So we were going to go down to the crawl space just to get out of the way. We didn't know if the windows were going to shatter or what. It was something else," he said.

Clean up in Wheat Ridge

A steady stream of pick up trucks flowed in and out of a debris drop off site Tuesday. The city opened up the site to give residents and neighbors a place to unload the large amounts of tree debris that littered yards and neighborhoods in Wheat Ridge.

Wheat Ridge Police say the northwest area of town was the hardest hit. Considering the number of downed trees and their proximity to many homes.

"Luckily what we've had is just minor injuries, mainly from just breaking glass or debris issues," said Wheat Ridge Police Department spokesperson Lisa Stigall.

"We don't have electricity, but we got ourselves and that's pretty good. We'll buy that as long as we can complain about it, it's OK," said Jay Wattarworth, a Wheat Ridge resident.

Wattaworth woke up to find three trees had fallen dangerously close to his home and cars. All around his neighborhood just off 32nd Avenue, sounds of tree cutting, sweeping and debris removal could be heard. Despite all mess and constant calls to insurance companies, Wattarworth says he's relieved the heaviest damage was to property and not to people.

There is no official damage estimate yet. The city of Wheat Ridge is hoping to get assistance from FEMA. Considering the budget issues it and many other cities are experiencing, federal help with the clean up would be certainly welcomed.

The debris drop off site is only taking tree debris and only from Wheat Ridge residents. It is scheduled to be open for the next few days at 4200 Kipling St., just north of the Wheat Ridge Recreation Center, starting at 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Proof of residency will be required with a photo I.D. showing a Wheat Ridge address or a photo I.D. and a utility bill showing a Wheat Ridge address. No private contractors. Residents with questions can call 303-231-1307 for more information.

Arvada

In response to the severe weather late July 20, the City of Arvada is opening a free branch/limb drop off site at W. 57th Avenue and Oak Street (the BMX track between the Stenger/Lutz Sports Complexes). This is for Arvada residents only and you will need to show an ID. Hours are from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday - Saturday, July 21 thru 25. Closed on Sunday.
This site is for tree branches and leafs, but the leafs must be taken out of the bag, container, etc.

The City WILL NOT be picking up piles of debris left in the streets. If you have branches and other debris to be disposed of, please take it to the free drop off site or bundle it appropriately for trash service.

Lakewood

Tree Limb Disposal - Rooney Road Recycling Center at 151 S. Rooney Road:
• Free for Lakewood residents until July 28 with proof of Lakewood address through a driver's license. Fees will apply for commercial dumping.
• Only tree limbs and leaves will be accepted at the center free of charge.
• New extended hours at Rooney Road Recycling for storm cleanup: 8 a.m. 7 p.m., now through July 26

Report downed power lines or power outages:
Xcel Energy: 1-800-895-1999