NAVAJO NATION, AZ — More Navajo Nation homes are getting electricity for the first time ever thanks to efforts from the Salt River Project.
Crews took off from the Valley earlier this month to equip residences with much-needed and life-changing power.
"I wish my mom and dad would have seen the lights turn on," said Shirley Chee, who waited three decades to get power. "Me and my sister were just crying, saying, ‘Oh, mom and dad, look at the lights. Look at the porch lights. They are all on.’ We were just sitting there crying. It’s just so wonderful. We never thought this was going to happen."
So far, line workers have been able to light up homes for 20 families on the Navajo Nation during this weeks-long project.
SRP is teaming up with utility companies from 10 states across the country to make it happen.
They hope to electrify 300 homes during this project.
SRP says about 14,000 homes on the Navajo Nation are still without power. There are an estimated 55,000 homes total on the 27,000-square-mile land.
Those on the Navajo Nation without power represent three-quarters of U.S. households without power.
In order to get power to a home, SRP says each household generally requires: one transformer, 0.6 miles of wire, nine poles, 16 insulators and two arrestors to connect to the electric grid. It costs about $5,500.
If you’d like to donate to the Light Up Navajo project, click here.
