Sustained Rain Slams Borderland Again Monday; Plane Skids Off Taxiway At Airport

EL PASO, Tx. – Labor Day in the Borderland was greeted with constant rain, overcast skies, the threat of more flooding andworriesover arising river.

In addition to the Rio Grande swelling once again, the wet weatherhascaused severe erosion inCanutillo, street flooding around Paisano, and neighborhood floodingin the many neighborhoodsjust over the border in Juarez.

Another possible weather-related incident occurred at the El PasoInternationalAirport. A passenger contacted ABC-7 saying their flight from had experienced a “rough landing.”

Airport officials confirmed to ABC-7 that Continental Airlines flight 1658 had some sort of difficulty at the airport, but would not say if it was weather-related.

According to the passenger who contacted ABC-7, the pilot told him that “his brakes locked up and they skidded a bit after hitting some moisture.”

One ABC-7 crew arrived at the airport to find the plane being tended to by emergency crews. The plane’s front gear left the taxiway’s surface and embedded itself in the mud between runways. Buses were dispatched and the passengers were taken to the terminal.

One of two retention ponds on the property of themothballedASARCO plant on the city’s west side had begun to overflow, with the second pond threatening to spill over as well. Plant officials worked to contain the water with sandbags, before it flowed onto Paisano street and the river below.

An ASARCO Spokesman tellsABC-7:

Before the ASARCO breach was announced, city officials had already closed Paisano, from Executive Center to Yandell due to the Rio Grande overflowing.

The Rio Grand was close to flood stage upstream as well, asresidents who live by the river in Sunland Park (NM) are worried that their homes are in danger of falling in.

Upper Valle resident Guillermo Gonzalo-Mejia and his wifetell ABC-7they’re scared their home could fall into the Rio Grande.

Due to the constant rain, the street in front of their home is closed off and sinkhole now replaces the spot where the Mejia’s rock wall once stood.

With so much rain, the drainage pipe near the Mejia home clogged up and broke. Mejia tells ABC-7 the sinkhole started to form Friday night. Then the rain caused the hole to get larger and the Mejia home is now teetering over the river.

Despite the constant downpour, as ofmid-afternoon Monday,city officials had decided to not start up the Emergency Operations Center (EOC). A city spokeswoman tells ABC-7 officials are keeping in contact with people at the International Boundary and Water Commission to keep abreast of the rising waters of the Rio Grande..

As for the weather forecast, ABC-7 StormTRACK Chief Meteorologist”Doppler” Dave Speelmanforecast a 50% chance of rains for the rest of Monday afternoon and overnight into Tuesday.

Speelman says moisture from the remnants of Hurricane John and a stalled front just north of the area were contributing to the constant rain.

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