Another Chance For Showers, Flooding Wednesday
EL PASO, TX. (AP)– Emergency crews braced for the possibility of a fourth straight day of storms on Wednesday as they prepared to clean up from heavy rains that flooded streets and forced some residents from their homes.
The flooding saturated mountainsides, causing walls to collapse in the softened ground and raising concerns about the threat of mudslides.
The storms had abated as of early Wednesday morning, with no reports of major injuries or mudslides.
But the National Weather Service predicted a 40 percent chance of more precipitation after noon.
Authorities said at least 60 people had been rescued Tuesday, some standing on the tops of roofs and their cars. Near the base of the Franklin Mountains, where the water level reached waist-high, neighbors worked to dig a long trench through muddied front yards in an attempt to keep the flood waters moving.
Streets resembled lakes and fast-moving rivers, and fire officials said they were worried about boulders and other debris falling from rocky cliffs around several El Paso neighborhoods.
The Red Cross opened several shelters, spokesman Mark Matthys said. He said less than 500 people had arrived at the shelters Tuesday evening.
The rain more than doubled the normal current speed in the Rio Grande and raised the water level near the banks on both sides, authorities said. Flooded streets forced city and county leaders to close offices throughout the area, including city hall.
The river was receding Tuesday evening.
The state of Texas declared the city a disaster area, and Gov. Rick Perry deployed 20 5-ton trucks from the Texas Army National Guard to the area and made arrangements to provide more if needed.
The parched region, which had less than an inch of rain in the first six months of the year, has possibly received as many as 6 inches since Sunday, the National Weather Service said.
An El Paso senior center was converted into a shelter as officials prepared to accept elderly homeowners who evacuated from 14 homes threatened by the floodwaters, said Vivian Rojas, a resident relations specialist with the city’s housing authority.
Drivers were warned to stay off local roadways, many of which have been closed by emergency crews.
