By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
A torrential downpour drenched Del Rio briefly Tuesday night during a strong
thunderstorm that also brought wind gusts between 66 and 85 miles per hour.
per hour to the area, bringing down tree limbs and toppling trash carts and lawn furniture.
Damage to this pecan tree was spotted in the 300 block of East 10 th Street. (Photo by Joel
Langton)
A swath of powerful thunderstorms swept west to east through Val Verde County
between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. Tuesday, triggering severe thunderstorm warnings and flash
flood advisories.
According to data from the National Weather Service web site and Del Rio meteorologist
Daniel Schreiber, Del Rio received an official total of 0.95 of an inch of rain during the
storm.
Schreiber told The 830 Times this morning Laughlin Air Force Base recorded a total of
0.93 of an inch of rain, with a rain gauge in Buena Vista recording 1.24 inches of rain and
near its intersection with U.S. Highway 90/Veterans Boulevard in north Del Rio just after
Tuesday’s storm. City and county emergency responders reported they dealt with several
calls for vehicles stalled in low-water crossings. (Photo by Karen Gleason)
one in the San Pedro Estates area near Lake Amistad recording 1.18 inches of rain.
Schreiber also reported several high wind gusts were recorded from around the area. He
said 66 mile-per-hour gusts were recorded at Del Rio International Airport and at
Laughlin Air Force Base, and “a weather station in Val Verde Park (Estates) indicated up
to an 85 mile-per-hour wind gust.”
Schreiber in his email also noted, “We go lucky – Dryden in Terrell County recorded a
93 mile-per-hour (wind) gust.”
Val Verde County Sheriff Joe Frank Martinez told The 830 Times today his office
received numerous reports of flooding in low-water areas around the county, as well as
side. The “lakes” were created from runoff along the normally dry Cienegas Creek
drainage during Tuesday night’s thunderstorm. (Photo by Karen Gleason)
reports of stalled vehicles and high winds.
“We also had a structure fire (off Wells Avenue near Lake Amistad) at the height of the
storm, which made it difficult to put out,” Martinez said, adding it was his understanding
that the fire was not storm-related.
Del Rio Fire Department Chief David Harrison told The 830 Times the weather kept his
firefighters busy as well.
The chief provided the following information via text: “Engine Seven responded to 1306 S. Griner St. for a tree on a powerline. Engine Seven
advised dispatch to notify AEP and the streets department. With no hazard on scene,
Engine Seven cleared the scene and returned to service.
Base was blown over by a wind gust during Tuesday’s storm. Wind gusts as high as 66
miles per hour were recorded at both Laughlin Air Force Base and Del Rio International
Airport, and a weather station in Val Verde Park Estates recorded an 85 mile-per-hour
gust. (Courtesy photo/Miner Farms)
“Engine One responded to 110 Wells Ave. to assist Val Verde County with a structure
fire.
“Truck One responded to the intersection of Kings Way and Mary Lou Drive for a
vehicle trapped in a low water crossing. Upon arrival, the driver had already self-
extricated and safely crossed the water.
“Engine Eight responded to 500 E. De La Rosa St. for debris in the roadway. Engine Eight arrived on scene and found a downed wire and a fallen tree.
“Engine Eight responded to the intersection of West Pafford and S. Griner Street for an arcing power line. Engine Eight arrived with police department already on scene. Engine Eight remained on scene until AEP arrived.”
Del Rio Police Department officers also responded to a number of calls related to the
weather.
Peter Ojeda, the city’s communications and marketing director, said police officers
responded to the following calls during the storm: a tree down in the 600 block of
Nicholson Street, a tree on the roadway in the 1000 block of South Griner Street, power
line concerns in the 1400 block of South Griner Street, a tree and debris at Railway
Avenue and East De La Rosa Street, a power line hazard in the 1300 block of South
Griner Street and a vehicle in the water at Kings Way and Mary Lou Drive.
DRPD officers also responded to a tree obstruction in the 200 block of Cano Street,
traffic signal lights out at East Gibbs Street and Veterans Boulevard, a wire blocking the
roadway at West 10 th Street and Avenue S, a wire on a tree sparking at West Pafford and
South Griner Street and a tree and possible power line down in the 500 block of East De
La Rosa Street.
City Hall saw problems from Tuesday’s storm as well. The storm struck during a regular meeting of the Del Rio City Council. The council had finished conducting most of the items on its agenda and was preparing to go into executive session when rainwater began flowing into the council chambers from a small
gap at the bottom of the north facing doors in one wall of the chambers.
As water pooled on the floor, city staffers, including City Secretary Mari Acosta,
Assistant Finance Director Roxy Soto, Assistant Public Works Director Roger Sanchez
and Michael Garcia, the assistant to the city manager and the city’s grants writer, jumped
into action, sopping up the small flood with mops and clean shop towels.
The writer can be reached at delriomagnoliafan@gmail.com
