Texas' other crisis: Flooding along border

Crews worked Friday to throw up makeshift dams after a levee break weakened this normally dusty West Texas border town’s defenses against the swollen Rio Grande.

About 150 inmates brought in from low-security facilities elsewhere in West Texas filled rotund sandbags about as tall as tractor tires. They were to be carried to the base of a railroad trestle by CH-47 helicopters that Gov. Rick Perry’s office was sending.

Rio Grande levels appeared lower Friday, and residents reported that water was receding. On Thursday, the water crept toward populated areas of Presidio from a levee break on the eastern edge of the town of 5,000.

“The good news on the river is that levels seem to have stabilized,” said Presidio County Attorney Rod Ponton. “We don’t know why that happened, but we’re happy.”

But the town is far from in the clear after two weeks of watching the river that divides it from Ojinaga, Mexico. The Rio Grande has been on the rise because of heavy rain and the forced release of water from the flood-stricken Luis Leon Reservoir in Mexico.

The situation prompted Perry to issue a disaster declaration Thursday night. He also asked for a presidential disaster declaration for Presidio County.

“This situation poses an immediate danger to the residents of Presidio,” the governor said in a statement.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe debate over AI’s future rages on both coasts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDecades-old march dispute reignites in Northern Ireland, threatening political crisis

Crews were using 20,000 to 30,000 small sandbags to fortify the base of a 1,300-foot stretch of railroad tracks. A trestle closest to the levee breach was getting the large sandbags being prepared Friday, and two other trestles were getting dirt and sandbags to help stem the flow of water.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe debate over AI’s future rages on both coasts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDecades-old march dispute reignites in Northern Ireland, threatening political crisis

Across the border in Ojinaga, hundreds of homes were flooded after the Rio Conchos jumped its banks and a dam overflowed, said Isaac Olivas, director of civil protection for the Mexican state of Chihuahua. Floodwaters reached 13 feet in some parts of the town.

He said 300 families had been evacuated over the weekend, and no one was hurt. Olivas said there were no breaches in any of the dams on Mexico’s side of the border.

Ponton said poor river management by Mexican officials contributed to the flooding. “This is not a natural disaster. It’s a manmade disaster,” he said.

The recent rains and flooding here aren’t related to Hurricane Ike, which hit hundreds of miles to the east.