Weekend Flooding And COVID-19 Challenge First Responders In The Rio Grande Valley

Some 200,000 people in the region lost power, and responders were sometimes blocked by debris.

By Jill AmentJuly 28, 2020 3:00 pm, ,

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott will travel to parts of South Texas Tuesday to survey storm damage from Hurricane Hanna and meet with local officials. Portions of the Rio Grande Valley are reeling on two fronts: flooding from last weekend’s hurricane and high numbers of COVID-19 cases.

Michael Rodriguez is deputy editor of the McAllen Monitor newspaper. He and his team have been covering the storm and its aftermath. He told Texas Standard’s Joy Díaz that at least 200,000 people in the Rio Grande Valley lost power over the weekend. On Tuesday morning, the number of people without power had dropped to about 57,000. In many areas, the hurricane blew off roofs and drove debris into roadways, making it difficult for first responders to reach some people.

What you’ll hear in this segment:

– How the wealth gap means residents in the Rio Grande Valley can experience natural disasters differently

– What simultaneous flooding and a COVID-19 outbreak mean for residents’ well-being

Web story by Shelly Brisbin.

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