Navajo County urges residents to prepare for disaster

PHOTOS: Get ready for disaster. Floods. Fire. Pandemics. You name it. “Every year, we strive to educate our communities from one end of the community to the other,” said Navajo County Public Health Director Janelle Linn. “This year hits home — we’ve had multiple disasters, including the pandemic and wildfires.” And with a fresh surge of COVID cases in a poorly vaccinated community, not to mention the possibility of renewed flooding on fresh burn scars — we could be in for it. “Going into fall and the upcoming winter, we could see a whole trifecta of disasters,” said Linn, whose department includes the county’s emergency management agency. “This morning, we got news that our July floods were approved for a federal disaster declaration — in addition to a state declaration.
White Mountain Independent

Crews recover body of man who drowned at Tempe Town Lake

VIDEO: Crews have recovered the body of a man who jumped into Tempe Town Lake overnight and did not resurface. According to Tempe Police Department, officials were called to the lake around 12:30 a.m. Tuesday to investigate a possible drowning. An 18-year-old man reportedly jumped in the water and could not be located. Tempe Fire Medical Rescue was able to recover the man's body a short time later, police say. The incident is under investigation.
KNXV-TV ABC 15 Phoenix

Mysterious shaking rattles north Phoenix neighborhood homes

Homeowners near 35th Avenue and Pinnacle Peak Road say there has been a mysterious rattle that is happening more consistently and frequently. "It was just a jolt at first and we'd feel it like 2 or 3 times out of the year," said Timothy Jackson. "As of yesterday, it was about 20 times every hour, just a steady shake." Timothy has videos of his windows rattling during one of the episodes. He said he built his home in 2000 and the shaking started about five years later--but it's never been this bad. "It rattles in the house but not only in the house, but outside it sounds like someone is jackhammering," said Kelly Jackson, Timothy's wife. "It's very unusual, but when it happens it really does scare you because you don't know if your windows are going to break, your house going to drop, you just don't know what it is." The Jacksons said some walls in their house have also started to crack, as well as a few spots outside.
AZFamily.com

Federal grants allow Tucson Fire to have quicker response times

When you're suiting up to go into a burning building, the last thing you want to worry about is your equipment. Thanks to $5 million in federal grants, that’s one less problem for the Tucson Fire Department. “When you have the best training, and you have the best equipment that gives us the best chance to help somebody in their time of need," said Barrett Baker, Battalion Chief at Tucson Fire Department. "And that really is important, to come to work everyday and feel supported.” In 2020 alone, the department responded to 661 structure fires. That’s a sharp increase from years past and it pushed them to apply for the grants. “We really need this and here’s an opportunity for us to get it without burdening the taxpayers,” said Chuck Ryan, Tucson Fire Chief.
KGUN-TV ABC 9 Tucson

Kingman Fire Department reflects on 100 years

The Kingman Fire Department is celebrating 100 years of service. After getting its start in 1921, the department has made the safety of Kingman residents and Kingman firefighters a top priority. Fire chief Jake Rhoades said throughout his seven years with KFD, he is proud to see how the culture of the fire department puts safety first and has created a progressive culture around safety and community services. “The Kingman Fire Department has always been looked up to as leaders in the fire service in Mohave County, as well as the state of Arizona,” Rhoades said. Rhoades said one of the biggest milestones the department has seen was the transition from a department of volunteers to a career department. During his time as fire chief, Rhoades said he’s proud of how adaptable the department is to change.
Kingman Miner