San Benito hurricane update

SAN BENITO - On Thursday morning, Anastasia Perez started a long trek in knee-deep water from a shelter to her house on the south side of town.

While walking, she prayed that her house wasn't flooded during Hurricane Dolly, which assaulted this city Wednesday and left some neighborhoods partially under water.

Luckily, Perez's house was spared. But she said she was amazed to see the damage that Dolly left behind in San Benito.

"I've never seen it like this," she said.

The southwest part of the city, including some low-lying neighborhoods and public housing, were the hardest hit, said San Benito City Manager Victor Treviño.

Sam Houston Boulevard near Expressway 77 was under at least two feet of water in some areas, and storefronts there took a beating, officials said.

Kenneth Lake, a public-housing development in the city, is likely unsalvageable because of flooding, Treviño said.

In some neighborhoods, street flooding was waist-deep.

On Milam Street in the southern part of town, David Soto, wife Prissy and other family members waded through the murky floodwaters to check on relatives.

Soto's house had a few inches of water inside, but nothing catastrophic, he said.

The family wasn't too frightened when Dolly struck, and even enjoyed the excitement, Soto said.

"It was fun because we've never been through it before," he said.

Others said they were frustrated that their neighborhoods flood so easily.

"We've never had good drainage, and have always had the same problems," said Mario Hinojosa, 72, who has lived in San Benito for 38 years and has seen his street flood many times.

Treviño said city workers are trying to clear debris and trees from the streets and drainage systems as quickly as possible. There's a bottleneck in the city's drainage ditches because the water volume is so high, he said.

Officials also are checking the city's lift stations to make sure the sewage system doesn't back up, he said.

The city's water is safe to drink, he added.

Treviño said the city is waiting to hear from the Federal Emergency Management Agency so officials can begin assessing the damage.

"We need them to contact us," he said..