By admin 
BISBEE, Ariz. (13 News) – Residents and emergency crews in Old Bisbee spent Thursday digging out debris and assessing the damage after a severe monsoon storm slammed the mountain town with heavy rain, damaging winds, and hail.
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The storm, which struck Wednesday night, transformed steep roads like Brewery Avenue into rushing rivers, pushing mud, rocks, and ice down into the historic business district.
“I felt like I was in a snare drum,” said longtime Bisbee resident Patricia Hill, describing the sound of hail pounding her home. “It felt like bullets were just bouncing off of everywhere.”
The Copper Queen Hotel bore a significant brunt of the storm’s fury. Manager Angelina Romero said the cleanup began the moment she tried to get to work Thursday morning.
“All of the rocks and the flooding and the landslides caused massive traffic issues,” Romero said. “They ended up blocking off the roads this morning. It was nearly impossible for me to even come into work today because they had the whole canyon blocked off.”
Once inside the historic hotel, staff and guests discovered widespread damage. The storm ripped the cover off the hotel pool, shattered fourth-floor bathroom windows with hail, and caused major flooding in the lobby after ice clogged the building’s roof drains.
Steven Belsito, a hotel guest and Arizona resident of 27 years, jumped in to help staff push water out of the lobby doors as a “curtain of water” poured into the building.
“I’ve never seen rain and hail like this,” Belsito said. “It was coming down the street, a foot thick, and it was covered in ice. Just ice everywhere.”
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County officials urge caution, offer sandbags
The sudden, intense nature of the storm prompted local emergency managers to remind southern Arizona residents of the dangers of flash flooding.
“Turn around, don’t drown,” said Albert Echave, the Cochise County Emergency Management Coordinator. “This time of year, we hear that everywhere, but yet, we still seem to see folks get stuck in washes and dangerous situations.”
County officials are urging residents to stay prepared, sign up for local emergency alerts, and avoid flooded roadways.
To help residents prepare for future monsoon activity, Cochise County is providing free sandbag drop-off sites.
A complete list of sandbag locations, alongside sign-up information for local emergency weather alerts, can be found HERE.
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