One Year Anniversary of the Great June Flood of 2018

6/26/2019 (Permalink)

Drone Photo by the National Weather Service.

According to the National Weather Service, the damage caused by the rains brought on by severe thunderstorms last year could be compared to the damage brought on by Dolly in ‘08, the last major hurricane to hit our area.

As of June 25^th, State of Emergency Declarations were issued for Cameron, Hidalgo and Willacy County.

Although the most affected area was Weslaco, other RGV cities were not immune.

Timeline breakdown

 The following timeline provided by the Mid Valley Town Crier gives a breakdown of the weather events that happened last year.

June 15th & 16th - Meteorologists observe moisture moving across the Gulf of Mexico towards the RGV

June 18^th - Pre-dawn storm drops 2-3 inches in Los Fresnos and Harlingen

June 19th - More than 12 in. fall over Duval, Jim Wells & Brooks counties

June 20th - Much of Weslaco became submerged after 16-18 in. of rain fell in less than 12 hours. Brownsville and Los Fresnos we also hit by more rain.

June 21^{st – Starr County arroyos overflowed their banks when more than 7 inches fell over Rio Grande City. McAllen had rainfall between 6 - 8 inches.}

^{June 22nd - 3 more inches of rain topped of Los Fresnos once again and the McAllen/Mission area.}

^Damage

Mid-Valley Airport grounds reported 11.36 inches of rain in just 3 hours.

Similar situations were seen throughout the entire Valley… large amounts of rainfall in a very short period. That formula was perfect for overwhelming draining systems and causing mass overflows.

Most of the damage was in large part due to the failure or lack of current infrastructure. Plans were immediately made to improve drainage in the areas that were most affected.

In total, the damage counts amounted to

• 2500 homes
• 100+ businesses
• 2500 vehicles

 Let's Prepare Now!

Hurricane Season has already begun. Spanning from June 1^st to November 31^st. This means we are to be on the watch for half the year. Plenty of time to prepare and not get caught off-guard.

Let’s take these learning experiences to heart and get ahead of the situation before it becomes a problem.

Should the worst arise, know that you have a neighbor in your pocket with all the resources imaginable to make it “Like it never even happened.”