Wednesday, July 20, 2005
Hurricane Emily Erodes Beaches
Emily Strikes Texas' South Padre Island
By PAM EASTON, Associated Press Writer
...
"It tore away at some of the existing dunes, but the beach erosion was nowhere near what I expected it to be," he said. "We were lucky. There is no question about it."
Emily, a Category 3 storm packing 125 mph winds, hit just before dawn near San Fernando, Mexico, a coastal town about 85 miles south of Brownsville. The
National Hurricane Center in Miami said hurricane-force winds extended outward 70 miles.
Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper Johnny Hernandez said Wednesday there had been no reports of deaths or injuries related to the hurricane.
But more than 18,000 AEP Texas customers lost electric power, said Larry Jones, spokesman for the region's utility company. More than half were in the coastal towns of Port Isabel and South Padre Island, he said.
In Brownsville, about 10,000 customers of the Brownsville Public Utility Board were without power, board spokeswoman Lucila Hernandez said.
Those numbers rose and fell through the morning as each squall passed through the area, Jones said. Once winds die down, crews will make repairs and service should be restored, Jones said.
Buddy Finch, a supervisor with AEP Texas' Port Isabel office, said the hurricane's blow was much less than what he and his crews prepared for.
"I guess it probably cut us a break as far as damage or a direct hit," Finch said. "It's not a bad one for us. I'm sure Mexico is catching heck, but we're OK. You feel for the people who are south of us."
Jared Hockema, an emergency management spokesman, said authorities who surveyed Cameron County found no significant property damage. He said there were a few downed trees and missing shingles from homes, but nothing more.
Storm surges of up to 10 feet along with high tide were expected to cause flooding along the coast, but the storm only caused minor pooling on some roadways.
"It ended up being, as you can tell, just very dry. We get worse storms than this in the Dallas-Fort Worth area," Kunz joked.
As the hurricane approached Tuesday night, South Texas residents toting televisions, video games and coolers settled down on mattresses and blankets to wait out Emily in some of the 14 shelters set up across the region. The
American Red Cross estimated about 4,000 people stayed in the shelters overnight.
Cindy Ruiz, 32, took refuge at Elma E. Barrera Elementary School with 12 other family members, including her husband and eight children. To pass the time, the children worked on puzzle books while adults watched weather reports on the TV they brought along.
She said the worst part of the night was when the storm peaked just before dawn.
"It seemed liked the whole school was going to blow out," said Ruiz, who moved with her family to Texas from Iowa a few months ago. "It was very scary."
Emily hit Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula early Monday with 135 mph wind, causing flooding and ripping roofs off resort hotels. After losing strength, it regained momentum as it crossed the Gulf of Mexico and was upgraded to a Category 3 hurricane Tuesday night.
A hurricane warning remained in effect Wednesday for the lower Texas coast from Port Mansfield to the U.S.-Mexico border. Flood and tornado watches were issued for most of South Texas through the morning.
Some residents welcomed the rain that came with the storm to their otherwise parched region. Brownsville got only 2.85 inches of rain during the first six months of this year, about 8 inches below normal.
"It's beautiful," said 87-year-old Juan Manuel Jasso, who sat on his covered porch with his wife enjoying the wind and light rain. "We don't have any problems. We have got plenty of water and plenty of food."
By PAM EASTON, Associated Press Writer
...
"It tore away at some of the existing dunes, but the beach erosion was nowhere near what I expected it to be," he said. "We were lucky. There is no question about it."
Emily, a Category 3 storm packing 125 mph winds, hit just before dawn near San Fernando, Mexico, a coastal town about 85 miles south of Brownsville. The
National Hurricane Center in Miami said hurricane-force winds extended outward 70 miles.
Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper Johnny Hernandez said Wednesday there had been no reports of deaths or injuries related to the hurricane.
But more than 18,000 AEP Texas customers lost electric power, said Larry Jones, spokesman for the region's utility company. More than half were in the coastal towns of Port Isabel and South Padre Island, he said.
In Brownsville, about 10,000 customers of the Brownsville Public Utility Board were without power, board spokeswoman Lucila Hernandez said.
Those numbers rose and fell through the morning as each squall passed through the area, Jones said. Once winds die down, crews will make repairs and service should be restored, Jones said.
Buddy Finch, a supervisor with AEP Texas' Port Isabel office, said the hurricane's blow was much less than what he and his crews prepared for.
"I guess it probably cut us a break as far as damage or a direct hit," Finch said. "It's not a bad one for us. I'm sure Mexico is catching heck, but we're OK. You feel for the people who are south of us."
Jared Hockema, an emergency management spokesman, said authorities who surveyed Cameron County found no significant property damage. He said there were a few downed trees and missing shingles from homes, but nothing more.
Storm surges of up to 10 feet along with high tide were expected to cause flooding along the coast, but the storm only caused minor pooling on some roadways.
"It ended up being, as you can tell, just very dry. We get worse storms than this in the Dallas-Fort Worth area," Kunz joked.
As the hurricane approached Tuesday night, South Texas residents toting televisions, video games and coolers settled down on mattresses and blankets to wait out Emily in some of the 14 shelters set up across the region. The
American Red Cross estimated about 4,000 people stayed in the shelters overnight.
Cindy Ruiz, 32, took refuge at Elma E. Barrera Elementary School with 12 other family members, including her husband and eight children. To pass the time, the children worked on puzzle books while adults watched weather reports on the TV they brought along.
She said the worst part of the night was when the storm peaked just before dawn.
"It seemed liked the whole school was going to blow out," said Ruiz, who moved with her family to Texas from Iowa a few months ago. "It was very scary."
Emily hit Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula early Monday with 135 mph wind, causing flooding and ripping roofs off resort hotels. After losing strength, it regained momentum as it crossed the Gulf of Mexico and was upgraded to a Category 3 hurricane Tuesday night.
A hurricane warning remained in effect Wednesday for the lower Texas coast from Port Mansfield to the U.S.-Mexico border. Flood and tornado watches were issued for most of South Texas through the morning.
Some residents welcomed the rain that came with the storm to their otherwise parched region. Brownsville got only 2.85 inches of rain during the first six months of this year, about 8 inches below normal.
"It's beautiful," said 87-year-old Juan Manuel Jasso, who sat on his covered porch with his wife enjoying the wind and light rain. "We don't have any problems. We have got plenty of water and plenty of food."
