Rain Pours Again Thursday Morning, More To Come
EL PASO, TX- Thursday’s early morning downpour caused more flooding in areas that had just started to dry out after weekend storms.
David Novlan, a meteoroligist with the National Weather Service, said 1.14 inches of rain was recorded at theEl Paso International Airport, most of which fell within an hour.
Other areas recorded as much as 1 1/2 inches within an hour, in the early morning rain.
The El Paso area has received more than 8 1/2 inches of rain this year, almost all of it this week.
Roads throughout the city had standing water Thursday, forcing the closure of several routes and freeway ramps.
Governor Rick Perry, who has declared El Paso a disaster area, was to visit the city later Thursday to meet with emergency officials and get updates on recovery efforts.
State Sen. Eliot Shapleigh, D-El Paso, said Wednesday he expects insurance claims in the normally parched city to be significant. A primary worry is that many residents whose homes were inundated with water and thick mud don’t have flood insurance, Shapleigh said.
State officials have also issued warnings to residents to be weary of “fly-by-night contractors and other scam artists” offering quick and cheap cleanup and repair services.
Mexico has declared Ciudad Juarez, across the border from El Paso, a natural disaster area. This sister city had another bout with flooding in July.
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
AP-NY-08-03-06 1524EDT
