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South Texas residents assess damage from Dolly; losses estimated at $750M |
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Written by Elizabeth White, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
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Thursday, 24 July 2008 |
A man wades through a flooded street after Hurricane Dolly hit the area in Matamoros, Mexico, Thursday, July 24, 2008. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS/Eduardo Verdugo
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HARLINGEN, Texas - Residents across south Texas and in northern Mexico slogged through knee-deep muddy waters, tiptoed around downed power lines and dug through debris Thursday, but were thankful that hurricane Dolly was not as powerful as they had feared.
Downed power lines remained the greatest danger, and South Texas officials urged people to stay home one more day "unless it's life or death." One person in Matamoros, Mexico, died from electrocution after walking past a power line on the ground.
Residents picked up the pieces of their houses and businesses blown apart by the storm. But as dry skies spread over the region, they were struck by relief that the storm did not take many lives.
Even so, there will be substantial cleanup. President George W. Bush declared south Texas a disaster area to release federal funding to 15 counties, and insurance estimators put the losses at $750 million.
By Thursday afternoon, with the storm's maximum sustained winds blowing around 56 km/h, forecasters downgraded Dolly to a tropical depression. The storm was expected to break up by Friday, and was centred about 60 kilometres south of Eagle Pass at 5 p.m. EDT.
Rain and wind from Dolly probably doomed much of the cotton crop in Texas's Rio Grande Valley. About 370 square kilometres of cotton in the region was awaiting harvest but driving rains and high winds knocked bolls to the ground, making them unsalvageable, Texas Agri Life Extension agent Rod Santa Ana said. Sorghum crops damaged by rain in early July also could be doomed, he said.
After crashing ashore on South Padre Island midday Wednesday, Dolly shifted north, leaving towns on the northern tip of the Rio Grande Valley with a surprise. Officials had feared the Rio Grande levees would be breached, but the storm veered from its predicted path and they held strong.
The storm dumped as much as 300 millimetres of rain in places and brought 160 km/h winds.
A remnant on Thursday blew several roofs off houses and businesses on San Antonio's south side, about 480 kilometres northwest of where the storm made landfall. There were no immediate reports of injuries, and the National Weather Service sent a storm survey team to determine whether it was a tornado or strong winds.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry was scheduled to fly over the region Thursday afternoon.
Down by the U.S.-Mexico border in Brownsville, the city that expected the worst had some of the least to fear.
Residents in the Cameron Park community cleared their yards of shingles and tree debris while mosquitoes feasted. But homes were still standing, and residents were thankful the damage wasn't so bad.
"I thought it was going to be worse than it was," Moses Izaguirre said.
On South Padre Island, which endured the worst of Dolly's wrath, power could be out for another day, said town spokeswoman Melissa Zamora. A 9 p.m. curfew was set for the second night in row, and the National Guard were distributing ice, water and food. Residents and visitors recalled a wild ride.
Across the Rio Grande in Matamoros, Mexico, power was restored to large parts of Brownsville's sister city, and Tamaulipas Gov. Eugenio Hernandez said the lights would be on by the end of the day.
Gas stations and factories reopened as about 2,500 police and soldiers patrolled to prevent looting while many of the 13,000 people who had taken shelter returned home.
The last hurricane to hit the United States was the fast-forming Humberto, which came ashore in southeast Texas last September.
The busiest part of the Atlantic hurricane season is usually in August and September. So far this year, there have been four named storms, two of which became hurricanes. Federal forecasters predict a total of 12 to 16 named storms and six to nine hurricanes this season.
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 07 September 2008 )
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