Overnight thunderstorms and power outages have prompted San Benito CISD’s closure Tuesday and class and operation delays at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, with other school districts monitoring the weather.
Storms barreled through the region Monday evening, drenching the area, leading to power outages and some storm-related damage in the Upper Valley.
According to the National Weather Service, the Valley will continue to see “scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms” Tuesday in addition to “mild high temperatures.”
SAN BENITO CISD
The San Benito school district announced via Facebook on Tuesday morning that it was forced to close for all students and employees due to “significant damage to a critical power transformer.”
According to the district, it will be several hours before power is fully restored to schools and the surrounding areas.
The district had previously announced delays at 10 campuses, although district officials didn’t identify which campuses, early Tuesday morning.
District officials cited severe weather conditions and the campuses in question being without electricity at the time.
Classes in San Benito are expected to resume on time Wednesday.
UTRGV
UTRGV is delaying opening until 10 a.m. Tuesday for all campuses due to the weather and a lack of power at several buildings on the Edinburg campus.
Classes scheduled before 10 a.m., online classes included, are canceled for all university campuses. Classes beginning at 10 a.m. and later will be held.
University officials said in a news release that transportation services will not be available for students until 9 a.m.
Employees are asked to avoid accessing all facilities at the Edinburg campus until 10 a.m., when operations will begin for employees. The Brownsville campus is accessible but it is also not beginning operations until 10 a.m.
“Employees who can work remotely should do so during regular business hours,” UTRGV said in the release. “Employees who cannot work remotely and must be on campus to perform their job duties should report to work at 10 a.m. These employees should enter two hours of emergency leave on their timesheet for April 26, 2022.”
Employees are further asked to contact their supervisor for additional details about their schedule. The university said it’s expecting power to be restored in the next few hours.
