Cameron County crews prepare for possible hurricane

HARLINGEN  — Cameron County crews in Harlingen and San Benito were checking all drainage ditches for possible obstructions Monday, as well as filling sandbags, as a hurricane watch was issued for Tropical Storm Alex as it headed into the Gulf of Mexico, Precinct 4 Commissioner Edna Tamayo said.

"We already issued out 200 sandbags to the Head Start center," Tamayo said. "We’re not waiting, we’re trying to get ahead of this."

County Judge Carlos Cascos called a hurricane planning meeting Monday at the courthouse, Tamayo said.

Cascos also issued a voluntary relocation notice for high profile vehicles such as RVs at Isla Blanca and Andy Bowie county parks.

"We continue to monitor Tropical Storm Alex as it makes its way through the Gulf of Mexico with a trajectory into northern Mexico and the Gulf Coast Texas region," Cascos said. "According to the latest advisory the storm is on a track to affect the Gulf Coast Texas region," he said.

Cascos had already ordered all public works crews to begin taking all necessary precautions for the hurricane seasons by cleaning out ditches, continuing to dole out bag sandbags and pre-positioning some of the county’s heavy equipment and water pumps to low-lying areas of the county, he said.

"Our crews are on standby and ready to mobilize at a moment’s notice," Cascos said.

AEP Texas, a division of American Electric Power, issued a statement that as tropical weather approaches the Texas Gulf Coast, electric customers on life support systems should make arrangements for possible prolonged power outages.

Customers from Port Isabel to Matagorda are served by AEP Texas, company officials said. Those areas are most susceptible to power outages caused by violent tropical weather, AEP officials said.

"We understand the special needs of customers who are on life support systems or who need uninterrupted electric service for health reasons," said David Hooper, vice president of Electric Distribution Operations. "However, we have no control over the damage that will occur during the course of a storm or hurricane."

Hooper advises customers with special needs to make arrangements to evacuate well in advance of an approaching storm to avoid power interruption.

"Once the storm passed and our restoration efforts begin, we will make every effort to get the lights back on as soon as possible," said Hooper. "We will communicate through the media, our website and call center about restoration progress."

All storm information will be posted to aeptexas.com.