Storm causes at least $25K in damages at Las Cruces gas station
The storm also dropped plenty of rain, with much of the
Fallen canopy
Friday morning, yellow caution tape roped off an area around a canopy at Chucky's
Chucky's gas station owner
"My first thought was: I hope nobody got injured," he said Friday. "I came rushing here."
Because of the storm's strength, few people were out and about in the city. Ashraf said that was fortunate because it meant no one was walking by or patronizing the gas station at the time the canopy fell. He attributed the collapse to high wind speeds.
"This store has been around here 40 years," he said. "I've never had any canopy issues."
No one was injured in the collapse.
Temporary closure
Midday Friday, a crane arrived at the site to remove the canopy, but the equipment turned out to be too small. A second, larger crane was called in. And by early afternoon Friday, crews had blocked off both lanes of
"Our first line of activity is moving this canopy out," he said. "Then we'll figure out the rest. We won't do any business until this hazard is over."
The removal process was expected to take most of the afternoon Friday. The store could reopen as early as Saturday, if the project is finished by then, Ashraf said.
The general contractor for the project was
Ashraf said he's received an estimate that the cost of the removal alone is likely about
Ashraf said he's been getting a lot of offers of help in the wake of the incident.
"We're very thankful to the people of
Power outages
In all, 40 outages cut power to 6,500 customers of
"We received reports of poles down and downed wires," said
The largest of the outages affected about 4,800 customers. It was reported at
"
Rain totals
The storm left
The most rainfall recorded was 0.92 inches, which fell near
Nearly 0.8 of an inch fell at the
Other locations on the city's outskirts saw very little precipitation. The East Mesa along
Scattered showers are possible in the area throughout the weekend, according to the
Las Cruces Weather Forecast
Saturday: Scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly after
Saturday Night: Scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly before
Sunday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 7 a.m. Sunny, with a high near 99. West northwest wind around 7 mph.
Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 70. North wind 5 to 7 mph becoming east southeast in the evening.
Monday: Sunny, with a high near 96. East wind 6 to 9 mph.
Source:
Storm safety tips
* Slow down. Allow for more travel time when driving in wet weather.
* When coming to a stop, begin slowing down sooner and apply gentle brake pressure. Avoid slamming on brakes.
* Allow for greater distance between vehicles. Normal driving conditions recommend travelling at least two seconds behind vehicles. During wet weather it is recommended to increase that distance.
* Give larger vehicles, like trucks and buses, more room for stops and turns.
* Avoid making sudden turns or lane changes.
* Drive around puddles as sitting water may be deeper than what it appears.
* Never attempt to drive through flooded arroyos or running water. Even when driving a large vehicle, like a truck or SUV, fast-moving water can easily overcome it.
* Drive with headlights on and stay alert to surrounding traffic and changing weather conditions.
* If rain is too heavy or streets are flooded, pull over to a safe distance from the roadway -- in a parking lot or away from traffic -- until conditions improve.
* Get indoors when lightning is seen or when thunder is heard.
* Lightning tends to strike taller objects, so avoid open areas and especially keep from being the tallest object in an open area.
* Stay away from tall trees, utility poles, towers and any body of water.
* If you're in a group of people and unable to take shelter, have the group spread out. Doing so will prevent multiple casualties during a lightning strike and will increase the chance that someone can help if an injury occurs.
* Keep away from electrical equipment, corded telephones and plumbing during a storm.
* Don't swim, shower, bathe or wash dishes during a lightning storm.
* Stay clear of and avoid driving over any downed power lines.
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