Strong winds rip through the Borderland causing road hazards and property damage

Severe winds swept through the Borderland Saturday.

With wind gusts hitting close to 70 miles per hour, damage was seen all across town.

In northeast El Paso you could hear the winds howl as fire crews were at Hercules Drive and Mt. Ranier Avenue.

ABC-7 cameras captured downed power lines over homes posing a danger.

El Paso Electric reported more than 10,000 customers from San Elizario to Anthony, New Mexico without power at 11 a.m.

On Dyer Street, residents bundled up and braved the winds. On the roads, drivers had to deal with low visibility and flying debris some even having to dodge a porta-potty at a nearby intersection.

In south El Paso, wind gusts uprooted a massive tree.

“You’ve been out of electricity for more than three hours?,” a reporter asked, “Maybe a little more than that,” said Jesus Luna.

Luna tells ABC-7 the tree falling was a little too close for comfort.

“I was out when the tree fell. I’m glad it was a distance from here,” Luna said.

In downtown the newly added Christmas manger was toppled over and Christmas ornaments were blown around the plaza. ABC-7 cameras captured some of the ornaments cracked as well.

On Scenic Drive the 25th Annual Centro De Salud Familiar La Fe’s lighting of the luminaries was scheduled.

“We had to make the difficult decision among our team for our event to cancel,” said spokeswoman Estela Reyes Lopez.

Lopez said not only does the event provide luminaries across Scenic Drive but they hold a canned food drive that brings in a lot of donations, donations they might not see this year.

“We’re on the front lines of knowing the reality and the reality is there is a tremendous amount of families in need, elders, children, people who are just making it,” Lopez said.

If you’d like to donate to Centro De Salud Familiar La Fe they are located at 721 South Ochoa Street.

They will be open this week taking donations.