Cameron County officials to discuss levee system
BROWNSVILLE - Cameron County emergency management officials plan a hurricane awareness presentation today, where they could discuss the possibility of stormwater breaching the county's levees during a major storm.
The presentation begins with a 3:30 p.m. workshop of Commissioners Court. It will include information on how the county, cities and the state are working together to ensure residents are safe during this hurricane season.
Midwest flooding that breached levees this week has brought the county's own levee system to the forefront of many discussions.
"I think people need to realize we are just as susceptible. It's happening everywhere," County Judge Carlos H. Cascos said Monday.
County emergency management officials are expected to present photographs of how Hurricane Beulah affected the county in 1967.
The hurricane caused extensive flooding, especially in the Harlingen area.
They will also present photos of the county's levee system and areas, including where possible breaks could occur, said Johnny Cavazos, the county's emergency management coordinator.
County officials repeatedly have said they fear the levees won't withstand heavy rains should a major hurricane strike the area. They have encouraged and will encourage residents to evacuate should a major hurricane threaten to hit the region.
Hurricane forecasters predict an above-normal hurricane season with 12 to 16 named storms and six to nine hurricanes, two to five of them major.
The International Boundary and Water Commission is working on county's levees, but there have been reports that a recently repaired area started to erode last month when a few inches of rain fell.
Much of the county is in a low-lying area, prone to flooding. A storm surge could travel 25 to 30 miles inland, affecting the eastern part of the county that includes Rio Hondo and parts of Harlingen and San Benito.
On average, a tropical storm dumps four to five inches of rainfall per hour. A slow-moving storm can dump up to 20 inches of rain in an hour, which would flood the city, officials said.
