City Of El Paso Announces Emergency Measures, State Help

EL PASO, TX- – In response to heavy rain fall and flash flooding around the El Paso area, leaders are taking measures to help assist in the emergency effort.

Representative Lozano is acting Mayor Pro Tempore and has been working closely with Emergency Staff to oversee and facilitate the emergency efforts.

Rep Lozano said: “City of El Paso emergency staff and myself are staying on top of the situation and working to provide equipment and keep stability as much as possible within the city. The weather conditions have been very unique and staff is working around the clock to meet the needs of the community.”

Deputy City Managers Pat Adauto and Bill Studer have been working with Emergency Management Coordinators and all city staff responding to this emergency.

State of Emergency / National Guard: The City of El Paso has been coordinating with state officials in declaring the situation in El Paso/El Paso County a State of Emergency. The State has offered the following assistance:

o Additional State Troopers

o Parks & Wildlife Officers and equipment

o High-profile vehicles

o Shelters: The following shelters are available for residents who are self-evacuating.

Please note that these are emergency shelters. Full-service locations will provide food and cots.

If you seek shelter at the locations that are not full-service facilities, as a precautionary measure, please bring personal necessities (sleeping bag, snacks, personal hygiene products, etc.) in the event you are housed there for the night:

o Judson F. Williams Convention Center (full-service)

o Ranchland Middle School, 7650 Yuma Drive

o Bel Air High School, 731 N Yarbrough

o Moorehead Middle School, 6725 Confetti

o Jefferson High School, 4700 Alameda

o Canutillo Elementary School, 651 Canutillo Ave (full-service)

o El Paso High School, 800 E Schuster Ave (full-service)

o Socorro: Tigua Community Center (full-service)

o Wellington Chew Senior Center, 4430 Maxwell (full-service)

o Socorro: Ernesto Serna School

Traffic into the City: Highway traffic that is normally routed through I-10 into El Paso is now being diverted:

o I-10 East into the city: Being diverted via Loop 375 to Railroad Dr. to US 54 to Alamogordo.

o I-10 West into the city: Being diverted at Las Cruces to Alamogordo.

Bus Routes: All bus routes will now be limited to the 10 main arterial routes throughout the city for safety precautions in residential areas.

The following will be the only routes that will be running, extending to the farthest point in each direction of the city:

o 15, 17 Westside

o 32, 35, 43 Northeast

o 50, 53, 58 Eastside

o 61 Mission Valley

o 66 Lakeside Routes are being pulled for the following reasons:

Safety Fuel Conservation – Sun Metro receives daily fuel delivery. In the event that the fuel does not arrive tomorrow, is it necessary to conserve what Sun Metro already has in order to continue service.

Additional units that may be necessary to assist emergency personnel with evacuations

****All routes will resume tomorrow on the Summer schedule, pending serious developments overnight.****

El Paso Independent School District: EPISD will delay the opening of all schools and district offices until 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, August 2nd in anticipation of possible street closures and rain damage.

The district will make a determination in the morning as to whether it needs to delay the opening further or cancel district activities as a result of the weather.

EPISD is working with Police Services, El Paso Police Department and the Emergency Operations Center to determine whether the weather will affect Wednesday’s district schedule.

Fort Bliss: Fort Bliss is assisting with evacuation teams, sand bags and any additional personnel or equipment that has been requested.

Update on Rio Grande Conditions: Earlier, the National Weather Service had put out an advisory for self-evacuation due to the River cresting. As of 5:20 p.m., the River continues to hold. Officials are continuing to monitor River water levels.

Representative Eddie Holguin has been present throughout the operations. “We are working to ensure the safety of all residents throughout the community.

National Guard is being deployed to the city of Socorro as of tomorrow morning and more are on their way to support the rest of the County.

The following information is in regard to the City of Socorro: City of Socorro: The City of Socorro Texas has declared a State of Emergency for City of Socorro, Texas.

Socorro Police also are asking for the voluntary evacuation of homes which are within mile of the Rio Grande River. Emergency shelters have been established (please see above listing).

Emergency services are available at those locations. If transportation is needed, contact the Socorro Police Department at 858-6985.

Also, sand bags are available at the Socorro Police Headquarters (670 Poona Rd.) and at the Socorro Volunteer Fire Station located on North Loop road.