Dust Storm in Phoenix

[californiagirl]

Is anyone at Canyon Villas and can you report on the amazing dust storm last night? Did it pass over CV?

 

[pwrshift]

Here's a note a friend sent me...he lives in Fountain Hills, very near CV...

We had a monstrous sand/dust storm come through late yesterday afternoon. It was this huge very slow moving jet black cloud that turned day into night. You couldn't see more than about twenty feet. This morning the whole city is covered with this very fine sand dust which you can see in the footprints on our deck. Fortunately there is no damage whatsoever but a few hours hosing everything down.

 

[Michael]

I was there!

I was in Phoenix on business. Like a blizzard in the Summer. Could not see anything across the street. Was in the pool and it went from day to night really fast. Could see it move at a rapid speed across the city. Supposedly, it was over 100 miles wide and 1 mile high! I am hoping I don't come down with Valley Fever for being in the right place at the wrong time!

- Michael

 

[Pens_Fan]

We had the same thing happen to us when we were in Phoenix in 2007.

Apparently, it's not all that uncommon during monsoon season.

 

[bobcat]

I was in Phoenix on business. Like a blizzard in the Summer. Could not see anything across the street. Was in the pool and it went from day to night really fast. Could see it move at a rapid speed across the city. Supposedly, it was over 100 miles wide and 1 mile high! I am hoping I don't come down with Valley Fever for being in the right place at the wrong time!

- Michael

Can you please tell me what Valley Fever is. Thank You

 

[tlsbooks]

Valley Fever is a fungal disease caused by spores in the dirt in Arizona and other desert areas. A big dust storm, like the one that just hit, would churn up the spores along with the dust and could, theoretically, lead to a outbreak of cases in the next few weeks.

Supposedly more than 1/2 the people in the Phoenix areas have been infected but had no symptoms or just than a few days of flu-like symptoms. Occasionally, there are more serious and longer-lasting complications, the most common being severe joint pain that can last for years.

My almost 15 year-old had Valley Fever which developed into pneumonia when he was 10. His uncommon complication, once the pneumonia was on the mend, was a form of colitis. Poor kid had the full workup of blood tests, upper and lower GI, etc. to rule out all the scary stuff like leukemia and liver failure plus less scary stuff like gluten intolerance before the doctors were ok with pronouncing it a side-effect of the Valley Fever. Then 6 months on 12 anti-inflammatory pills a day...each pill about 1/2 an inch long.

And once he was been done with those, no problems since.