City of Weslaco officials will host a forum Wednesday to address the aftermath and response to the flooding disaster, which damaged thousands of homes in late June.
Representatives from the National Weather Service and Hidalgo County Drainage District No. 1 as well as the city’s emergency manager, police chief, engineer and commissioners will be on hand at the flood forum scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 11 at Weslaco City Hall located at 255 S. Kansas Ave.
Nearly three weeks ago, showers and thunderstorms unloaded about 15 inches of water in four hours, damaging infrastructure, cars and homes in Weslaco. Since then, city crews have been working to cleanup and haul away tons of debris removed from inside flooded homes and businesses.
An estimated 2,337 homes were flooded, amounting to about 20 percent of the city, according to City Manager Mike Perez, who added crews have been picking up about 150 tons of materials disposed of by residents each day, including damaged furniture and drywall.
City representatives at the forum will address the immediate response to the flood and the next steps they plan to take. Residents, who will be allowed to speak following the presentations by officials, may sign up to speak for a three-minute window with the city secretary prior to the forum.
City of McAllen leaders held a similar meeting last week at city hall where they fielded questions from residents about the flooding implications.
Both the Mid-Valley and McAllen were affected by the storms on two consecutive days, prompting a federal disaster declaration, which allows Hidalgo County residents to apply for aid despite lacking flood insurance.
Residents not impacted by flooding who want to volunteer may call Arnoldo Becho with the public library at (956) 968.4533.
