Northern Arizona is dealing with one of the snowiest Januarys on record.
The winter weather has created a picturesque landscape at every turn but the snow and ice have kept some essential services from getting delivered to one unincorporated community.
When winter precipitation fell for a few moments in the West Valley, it got the social media treatment - some posting pictures of frozen windshields as they wrote, “Mesa, Arizona” in the frost.
Less than two hours up I-17 in the cabin community of Munds Park, residents like Michael Kettle see the snow as more of a chore these days.
He raced up to his cabin from the Valley on Tuesday to shovel heavy snow off his roof and deck.
County utility crews have had to plow primary roads so emergency vehicles can have access. The plows have created berms along residential driveways that either need to be shoveled frequently or leave some without access to the main road.
Once he got into town, Michael says he was given a window of several days until the propane company can show up.
“A lot of people have run out, right when they need it, I’ve got no heat in the house,” said Michael.
Many homes in Munds Park are heated by Propane.
For some, it's how to use appliances or take hot showers but icy, narrow roads in the unincorporated community pose a challenge for some propane providers looking to make deliveries.
“It becomes quite frightening,” said Brian Pagett.
Brian’s 74-year-old mother lives in Munds full-time.
He says until recently, she didn't have her propane refill for the better part of a month. At night, temps were down in the teens with no heat inside.
“She called me every day in tears, worried not sure when she was going to have heat, it's been devastating for her and us,” he said.
A spokesperson for a top propane company in Munds Park, AmeriGas told ABC15, “Weather conditions that bring heavy snow and icy road conditions can cause delays in completing propane deliveries. We are working hard to take care of our customers.”
They provided the following tips and links for any customer dealing with delays.
- Make sure driveways remain plowed and exceed the width of a large delivery vehicle
- Keep driveway and propane equipment clear of snow and ice and mark the location of underground propane tanks. We recommend a 10' wide path for our bobtail to deliver.
- Conserve energy when possible.
- If you order propane on demand, order online when your tank is at 40%
An unwritten rule of Munds Park - is to be a good neighbor.
When word got out about Brian's mom, those who had homes listed as Short Term rentals nearby, opened their doors for her.
Community leaders tell ABC15 dozens of people who own rental cabins have allowed others to stay in them until Munds Park looks less like Winter Park.
“What they've done for my mom, is priceless,” said Brian.
Many Munds Park residents use an automatic delivery service that helps notify the provider when tanks get to a certain level.
Munds Park residents pointed us to AmeriGas’s promise on their website.
Under the question, “What do you get with Automatic Delivery?” the company states “peace of mind.”
They go on to explain automatic delivery for propane uses a “sophisticated system” to estimate tank percentage based on appliances and weather. “When it’s time for a delivery an order will automatically be placed for you. Best of all this service is free!” states the company on the website.
A community leader for a Munds Park social media page wrote to ABC15 saying “people trusted what AmeriGas told them would happen in the auto-delivery program.”
