Rains slam northeast El Paso

The severe rains across northeast El Paso caused a lot of problems for commuters and residents Monday, to the point that emergency shelters had to be set up at two area schools.

The flooded streets and stranded cars caught up many people in the area. The Red Cross of El Paso worked with El Paso fire, police and Sun Metro to set up a pair of shelters to help drivers and residents.

The two shelters were set up at Lee Elementary and Magoffin Middle School, with fire, police and Sun Metro helping to gather and transport affected drivers and residents out of the weather and to get additional support.

At nearby Irvin High School, flooding affected several areas of the school, requiring a lot of cleanup, and forcing the cafeteria workers to make sack lunches because they couldn’t cook for lunch.

About half the students were kept home by parents or were unable to make it to campus due to the rains.

“A lot of parents have called in,” said Assistant Principal Jennifer Degraaf. “We’ve gotten over 300 phone calls this morning from parents saying ‘I’m not going to risk it, my child’s going to stay home.’ And we encourage that. I mean, we want them to take their safety – utmost importance. We of course excuse their absence. It’s a weather-related absence.”

Irvin was able to hold classes today, and the two area shelters were closed shortly after noon on Monday. But the Red Cross stands ready to respond if the rain returns and causes more problems in any area of town.

The Red Cross is helping residents check homes for damage from the storms and file evaluations. The Red Cross of El Paso can be reached at 915-592-0208 for assistance

As the rain and water clear, potholes and other damage to streets may become more apparent. Damage to streets, medians, curbs, and blocked streets can be reported to the El Paso Department of Transportation by calling 311 in El Paso.