Texas Border Business
EDINBURG – While a series of downpours in the Rio Grande Valley earlier this week brought up to nine inches of rain in parts of Hidalgo County and caused sporadic flooding, the region’s drainage system is working effectively and waters are receding, Hidalgo County Judge Richard F. Cortez said Thursday.
“We were hit with a large amount of rain, especially at the eastern and western end of Hidalgo County,” Judge Cortez said. “But our four County Commissioners have made drainage a priority and have been working on this issue for months, if not years in some cases. With their help and with the help of first responders as well as the cooperation of our residents, we got through this with no reported loss of life or
injury – and I call that a victory.”
Early reports suggest that the La Joya-Peñitas-Mission area saw more than nine inches of rainfall in the west. At the east end of Hidalgo County, the Mercedes-Weslaco-Delta area saw approximately 7.5 inches of rain.
There was street flooding and closed roads throughout Hidalgo County on Wednesday after an overnight series of downpours, but most roads were reopened after the rain let up by Wednesday. Hidalgo County and the rest of deep South Texas remains under a Flash Flood Watch until Friday evening, according to the National Weather Service in Brownsville.
Because of this continued threat, including grounds that are now saturated with water, Hidalgo County opened an emergency storm shelter on Wednesday located at PSJA North Early College High School, at 500 East Nolana in Pharr. No one is currently in that shelter and it will remain open through Friday.
Meanwhile, water levels in drainage ditches and canals continue to recede as designed. For extra slow drainage areas, the county owns nine vacuum trucks designed to suck up water and release it elsewhere. In addition, the county has hired an additional 19 privately owned trucks, so a total of 28 vacuum trucks have been dispersed in all four precincts throughout the County.
The levee system has also held strong, Judge Cortez said. He had raised concerns earlier this year that contractors had breached several sections of the levee to build the border wall. But federal officials responded to concerns and continue to work to fill in the breaches.
