By admin 
PEORIA, AZ (AZFamily) — A monsoon storm rolled over Lake Pleasant on Saturday, sending boaters into a scramble that witnesses say left several boats sunken.
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The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) said no injuries were reported during the frightening ordeal.
Video circulating on social media shows boats stacking on top of each other and sinking near a boat ramp as owners tried to pull them out while waves crashed.
What witnesses described
April, a boater who was on the lake Saturday, said the morning started without any sign of trouble.
“In the morning? Sunny. Perfect day,” she said. “Very sunny, very hot. It was perfect. No rain in the distance.”
She said the storm arrived within what felt like minutes after she and others had tied down their boats.
“As soon as we tied our boat down, that’s when everything just happened; it was crazy,” April said.
As boaters rushed to the ramp to get out of the water, April said the scene deteriorated.
“It just looked like chaos,” she said. “It was scary seeing everybody in the water, too, because the boats were just coming in.”
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April said she watched five boats sink during the storm. Her boat made it out safely.
“I feel like because nobody knew what to do,” she said.
What deputies say you should do
Rob Marske, with the MCSO Lake Patrol Division, said boaters who cannot get off the water before a storm hits should pull into a cove and wait it out, and drop anchor if they lose power.
“You’re safer adrift in the main bay than crashing up against the rocks or the cliff walls or the shoreline,” Marske said.
He said attempting to load at the ramp during high waves creates additional problems.
“You have people that may not even be very well trained in backing up the trailer in a calm condition, and now there’s stress involved,” Marske said.
Marske said a life jacket is essential for anyone who pulls into a cove to wait out a storm. He also said the most effective way to avoid the situation is to monitor the forecast and avoid going out on the water ahead of a storm.
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