EDINBURG -- Hidalgo County officials continue to assess damage and orchestrate county cleanup 10 days after Hurricane Dolly hit the Rio Grande Valley.

Hidalgo County Judge J.D. Salinas said during a media briefing Friday morning that at least 146 subdivisions and 1,741 homes have sustained damage from the Category 2 storm. County officials have yet to find out the dollar amount of the damage across the entire county, but preliminary estimates put the damage to county-owned properties at $10.6 million.

Mayors from the Delta region, which sustained some of the worst flooding in the county, are now most concerned with fighting mosquitoes in the area.

The Hidalgo County Health Department has been spraying daily and dropping insecticide in pools of standing water. Eddie Olivarez, the department's chief administrative officer, said the county is waiting for federal approval to do aerial spraying for mosquitoes this weekend in Hidalgo, Cameron and Willacy counties.

The $5 million to $7 million, one-time spray would cover a larger area in a shorter amount of time than traditional spraying could accomplish, he said. County officials are still trying to confirm if they can spray, as well as determine who would do it and who would pay for it.

Agency stalls aerial spraying

As of 7 p.m. Friday, the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Federal Emergency Management Agency and all other necessary federal agencies except the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service had approved going ahead with aerial spraying, according to an Hidalgo County news release.

"The mosquito problem in Hidalgo County is getting worse by the minute," Hidalgo County Judge J.D. Salinas said in the release. "U.S. Fish and Wildlife needs to heed the warnings of local health officials. Immediate action is needed to prevent any long-term medical and health complications."

The county needs Fish and Wildlife's approval to be eligible for FEMA reimbursement, the news release states. Aerial mosquito spraying could cost upward of $2 million in Hidalgo County alone.

"We're trying to go through the proper channels, but if we have to wait too long, local taxpayers may have to pick up the bill for spraying," Salinas said in the release.

‘Back in the same boat'

Officials at the county also are waiting to learn whether the federal government will allocate funding for emergency repairs to at least 10 drainage structures that control the flow of floodwater out of the county.

Godfrey Garza Jr., manager of Hidalgo County Drainage District No. 1, said officials are reviewing the almost 800 miles of the county's drainage system to assess damage and find weak spots. He said the system was not designed to handle the 12 to 14 inches of rain the storm dumped here in a 24-hour period.

Garza worries the county "could be back in the same boat" with renewed flooding problems if enough rain falls across the area. As of Friday afternoon, the National Weather Service stated there was a 20 percent chance of rain Wednesday.

Ground saturation combined with an already taxed drainage system could turn a few inches of rain into more flooding, Garza warned.

"We do have a problem down here in South Texas," he said. "We do need (lawmakers) to come to the table with some funding."

State agencies offer assistance

Also on Friday, the Texas Workforce Commission announced it is accepting applications for disaster unemployment assistance from individuals in Cameron, Hidalgo and Willacy counties.

The assistance is available to those who lost their employment or whose employment was interrupted due to Hurricane Dolly starting on or after July 22. Applications for the assistance must be filed by Sept. 2.

To file, individuals may call the nearest TWC Tele-Center from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday or call (800) 939-6631. Information also is available at www.texasworkforce.org.

The Texas Department of Insurance also announced Friday it has expanded its post-hurricane consumer assistance presence to include the McAllen area.

Insurance specialists from the department are now in four South Texas locations providing in-person assistance to consumers affected by Hurricane Dolly.

Department staff are available in the Upper Valley and Mid-Valley from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at these two Home Depot locations: 1500 W. Expressway 83, Weslaco, and 409 N. Jackson Road, Pharr. Staff can help consumers with questions about filing claims, contacting insurance agents or other insurance matters. Help also is available by calling (800) 252-3439.

Those who have uninsured losses due to Hurricane Dolly should register with FEMA.

____

Jackie Leatherman covers Hidalgo County government and general assignments at The Monitor. She can be reached at (956) 683-4424.

____

Who to call for help:

Federal Emergency Management Agency

(800) 621-3362

(800) 462-7585 (TTY for the speech and hearing impaired)

Texas assistance hotline: 2-1-1

Hidalgo County Hurricane Hotline: (956) 318-2903

Important Information to have available before calling FEMA:

• Current phone number.

• Address at the time of the disaster and current residence.

• Social Security number, if available.

• A general list of damages and losses suffered.

• If insured, the insurance policy number or the names of the agent and insurance company.