Edinburg rode out Hurricane Dolly in good shape, based on first reports, says Mayor Ochoa
By DAVID A. DÍAZ
Without diminishing the seriousness of the weather-related problems that continue to challenge many Edinburg residents, the three-time All-America City was very fortunate in dealing with the wrath of Hurricane Dolly, which caused extensive flooding and knocked out power on Wednesday, July 23, for large portions of deep South Texas.
"Thank God we are all back here, safe and sound," Mayor Joe Ochoa said during the Edinburg City Council’s meeting on Tuesday, August 5, the first formal meeting of the municipal government’s elected leadership since Dolly’s hard hit on the Rio Grande Valley.
The mayor singled out Fire Chief Shawn Snider, who is in charge of the city’s emergency operations center, for Snider’s work in helping direct the city’s responses to public safety immediately prior, during, and after Hurricane Dolly’s unsettling trek through the region – the first direct hit by a hurricane since Allen in 1980.
"I would like to take this opportunity to give a great hand of applause to Chief Snider for his great command of the city’s emergency operation center during this event for three to five days in a row," the mayor said.
Ochoa also praised all city employees, many of them who were pressed into duty, leaving their families during the weather emergency in order to work at City Hall, which served as headquarters for Edinburg’s municipal government responses to the storm.
"To Mr. (City Manager J.J.) Rodríguez, and all the staff who stayed around-the-clock in the emergency operations center, on behalf of myself and the city council, and certainly on behalf of the 60,000 beautiful people of Edinburg, congratulations and thank you," Ochoa said. "We know you guys will always step up to the plate, no matter what. Thank you very much for doing this for us."
The mayor said that a more comprehensive report on the hurricane’s impact on Edinburg will be presented by Snider at a later date. But initial reports showed that the community responded courageously to Dolly, Ochoa said.
Leading up to the hurricane, Ochoa reported that "there were more than 24,000 bags of sand given out during this period."
When the high winds, reported up to 70 miles per hour locally, and the heavy rains left Edinburg hours later, the city’s rainwater drainage system performed well, the mayor said.
Edinburg’s downtown region, which for decades would almost always suffer from damaging flooding and standing water following large rain events, finally faced and passed a major test, he observed.
"I think one of our first experiences was that the drainage (improvements) we moved on so quickly in the downtown area have finally proven themselves," Ochoa said. "The downtown area did not flood as it used to in the past."
The amount of rainwater that was dumped in Edinburg and outlying areas was significant, he added.
"More than two million gallons of water were helped pumped out of the city and surrounding areas," Ochoa said.
Lupe Rodríguez, a resident of Lull, a longtime unincorporated community which was eventually annexed by the city, reported that his region of town, located in northwest Edinburg, suffered from flooding.
"I want to give you thanks for all the work you have done, but over in Lull, we need your help to clean the highways over there because they are full of dirt," Lupe Rodríguez said. "This time, Dolly was a wake-up call for us, because most of the lots are full of water. It took some days for the water to get out of the community. Help us on the alleys."
The Lull resident added, "There are some trees that are in the way. We know your people have a lot of work to do, but don’t forget about us. I hope you can begin work very soon. We like to keep our community clean, just like you living in Edinburg."
Fallen trees and debris were among the biggest problem that faced Edinburg as the result of the hurricane, the mayor said.
"More than four million pounds of tree shrubs and debris have gone into our landfill as of today," Ochoa said. "What we normally would do in a six month period we picked up and destroyed in only half a day. That is how busy the city staff has been."
Ochoa readily acknowledged the obvious.
"I know there were many inconveniences, and for some of us, there continue to be," the mayor said. "I want to tell the public that I sincerely appreciate your patience and your cooperation with city staff in making sure that everything was run properly without interference."
The public’s responses to the storm, working with the local government, helped make Edinburg "as safe as possible" during the hurricane, he said.
"But we move forward," Ochoa continued. "This city has shown we will work together, not only within our own departments, but also with other communities."
He noted that the local government provided pumps to South Padre Island and San Carlos, some of the many communities in South Texas which bore the brunt of Dolly’s flooding and the misery caused by the hurricane.
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