Storm knocks out power to thousands of Navajo, Hopi homes

WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. (AP) — Residents across the Navajo Nation were without power Wednesday after a storm that packed powerful wind moved across the region.

Navajo Tribal Utility Authority spokeswoman Deenise Becenti says the outage affected at least 10,000 homes.

Wind knocked over power lines in Shiprock in the New Mexico portion of the reservation. A piece of metal flew off a building and hit a powerline in Kayenta.

Becenti says crews have been dispatched, but there’s no time estimate on when power will be restored.

Arizona Public Service Co. also experienced outages that affected Navajo communities near Winslow and the Hopi reservation.