Hanna leaves havoc in her wake
Emergency declared for Texas by FEMA as storm moves inland
Tropical Depression Hanna continued to lash south Texas with powerful winds and rain on Sunday as it weakened and moved farther into northeast Mexico, prompting the Federal Emergency Management Agency to approve an emergency declaration for Texas.
“We will continue to work with our federal and local partners as we assess the damage from Hurricane Hanna and may seek additional federal assistance as we continue to respond, recover, and rebuild our communities,” Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement.
The tropical storm centered itself over northeast Mexico as of Sunday evening, with winds near 35 mph. Heavy rains continued to drench south Texas, where some communities reported more than 12 inches of rain.
The storm, which made landfall 5 p.m. Saturday at Padre Island as a Category 1 hurricane, flooded parts of Corpus Christi and left tens of thousands of customers without power Saturday night, according to the Corpus Christi Caller-Times. No fatalities were reported there.
Further south, the Rio Grande Valley saw significant damage with major roadway flooding and multiple high-water rescues, according to local news reports.
More than 200,000 power outages were reported across Cameron, Hidalgo and Willacy counties.
A video circulating on social media from the city of Mission, just west of McAllen, shows water rising above the grills of SUVs parked on the street. Another video, taken with a drone in the nearby city of Mercedes, captures a neighborhood with backyards and driveways completely engulfed in water.
Harlingen and Weslaco also were among the hardest-hit cities. Forecasters anticipate more scattered showers and storms in the Valley through Monday afternoon. The total amount of rainfall is expected to reach 18 inches in isolated areas, according to the National Weather Service.
The outer bands of the diminishing storm sent scattered showers and thunderstorms on Sunday racing across Greater Houston down to the Victoria and Port Lavaca area. National Weather Service forecasters issued flash
flood watches and tornado watches most of Sunday afternoon along the south Texas coast, warning of rip currents in the Gulf.
Also Sunday, the National Hurricane Center began tracking a disturbance in the Atlantic Ocean that this week could become a tropical depression or storm. By Sunday evening, the disturbance, located over the central Atlantic, had a 80 percent chance of developing into a cyclone within 48 hours.