Texas Border Business
EDINBURG – Hidalgo County Judge Richard F. Cortez, in his capacity as director of emergency management, issued a local state of disaster declaration related to damages the county sustained by Tropical Storm Alberto, the season’s first named storm.
Judge Cortez’s actions, which took effect immediately, followed a similar declaration issued by Governor Greg Abbott on Wednesday that affected 51 Texas counties, including Hidalgo County.
“We actually fared quite well in this storm,” said Cortez. “The storm drainage infrastructure that we have been investing in proved worth the effort as several areas that have historically been prone to flooding did not suffer the magnitude of problems that they have had to endure in the past.”
The local declaration of emergency helps Hidalgo County gain access to state resources that would be available under Gov. Abbott’s emergency declaration. The same would hold true if President Biden issues an emergency declaration, which has not happened yet.
Tropical Storm Alberto brought much needed rain to Hidalgo County with reports of three to six inches of rainfall in some areas. While there were reports of flooding on some streets, there was no significant flooding.
Power outages affected more than 6,000 customers at its height, while the Alamo Water Supply did report a major water break. The City of Edinburg reported a sinkhole caused by the storm and the City of Pharr reported some damage to a building.
While a tornado warning was issued Wednesday night, there was no reported touchdown.
Read the Declaration Below:
