A day after strong storms drove people to leave their cars on flooded roadways, closed an airport, and stranded citizens in their houses, the torrential rain near the Texas-Mexico border stopped on Friday, but rescue efforts continued. At least three persons lost their lives.
In a statement, Hidalgo County officials stated that they only knew that the three killings were law enforcement activities and that they did not have any other information at this time.
Following the rainfall that dumped up to 14 inches of rain on portions of the county on Thursday, Hidalgo County Judge Richard Cortez signed a local disaster proclamation on Friday.
Receiving federal and state funding for recovery activities begins with the proclamation.
Officials in Harlingen reported that their city had gotten over 21 inches of rain this week. The most intense rainfall occurred on Thursday, resulting in significant flooding that forced authorities to rescue over 200 citizens, while another 200 are still awaiting rescue.
“This of course has been a historic and challenging event for the city. But Harlingen is strong. We have faced adversity before and we will get through this together,” Mayor Norma Sepulveda stated at a Friday afternoon news conference.
According to Fire Department Chief R.C. Flores, who spoke at a news conference Friday afternoon, the police and fire department in Alamo reacted to over 100 water rescues, including those who were stuck in their homes and stranded in their cars.
According to officials, the intense rains in Alamo caused flooding in a few hundred dwellings.
Flores added that while many cities in the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas, including Alamo, were damaged and flooded by Thursday’s thunderstorms, all of them were attempting to assist their citizens.
“I assure the public that we are assessing the situation on the hour, every hour. We’re constantly going out, not just in our city,” Flores stated. “Just because the storm is over, it doesn’t mean that the emergencies and the disaster is over. We are going to continue to work as long as we need to.”
Adrian Gonzalez, the mayor of Weslaco, reported that his city received approximately 14 inches of rain, resulting in 30 to 40 water rescues of citizens trapped in their homes by rising floodwaters and stranded drivers.
Severe Weather Expected This Weekend, Affecting 22 States Starting Sunday
Several soggy automobiles were left on the streets Thursday, and drivers were waiting on sidewalks for the floodwaters to subside, according to television news footage from flooded cities in South Texas.
The National Weather Service reports that throughout the past 24 hours, rain has been between 6 and 12 inches in various areas of South Texas.
After more than 17 inches of rain caused severe flooding in nearby Cameron County, officials petitioned Governor Greg Abbott to declare a disaster for the whole county.
Due to local flooding, Harlingen’s Valley International Airport was closed on Friday and all flights were canceled.
In a statement, airport officials stated, “We are focused on ensuring safety and working tirelessly to reopen.”
According to AEP Texas, over 3,400 people in multiple South Texas counties were still without electricity on Friday afternoon.
Through early Friday afternoon, the National Weather Service maintained a flood warning for parts of South Texas, including Cameron, Hidalgo, and Willacy counties.
“There’s a break from the rain this morning, which will allow flood waters to gradually recede, but we’ll still need to keep an eye on the development of isolated showers and thunderstorms once again this afternoon,” the National Weather Service stated. “Any additional rainfall will be quick to cause flooding issues given the heavy rainfall that has already fallen.”
Due to bad weather, tourist destinations including SeaWorld San Antonio were closed on Thursday but reopened on Friday.
Through Friday, one middle school in Alamo was supposed to be open as a sanctuary for locals. Weslaco officials had opened one shelter, and Harlingen officials had made the city’s convention center a shelter.
The extreme rain and flooding forced more than 20 South Texas school districts and college campuses to suspend classes on Friday.
It is predicted that North Texas may experience destructive winds and even hail this weekend.
This information has been sourced from CBS News.
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