BROWNSVILLE, Texas — Hurricane Dolly barreled into south Texas on Wednesday, lashing the coast with winds up to 100 mph and dumping heavy rain that flooded some low-lying areas but spared levees along the heavily populated Rio Grande Valley.
Authorities had feared the first hurricane to hit the U.S. since last September could produce up to 20 inches of rain in some areas. But shortly before its center came ashore, the Category 2 storm meandered 35 miles north of the border, veering away from the flood walls.
“We’re not experiencing any issues with the levees right now,” said Sally Spener of the International Boundary and Water Commission. “The water is just not high enough. We are not experiencing flood conditions (on the Rio Grande).”
Dolly was downgraded to a tropical storm late Wednesday night, and authorities in Texas and Mexico were watching for flooding.
About 5,000 people went to public shelters in three Texas counties hit hardest by the storm. More were expected as night fell, and at least 50,000 customers were left without power.
Most of the destruction from wind was on the resort island of South Padre Island, where the hurricane’s center came ashore and knocked out power to thousands of homes, ripped off roofs and smashed windows.
The causeway linking the island to the mainland was closed for hours but was reopened late Wed nesday.
No deaths were immediately reported in Mexico, but Tamaulipas state Gov. Eugenio Hernandez said 50 neighborhoods were still in danger from flooding. About 13,000 people had taken refuge in 21 shelters, he said.
At 10 p.m. CDT Wednesday, the storm’s center was about 55 miles northwest of Brownsville and moving west at about 7 mph. The storm’s maximum winds had weakened to about 70 mph. Forecasters said it could be downgraded to a tropical depression by today.
The U.S. Census Bureau said that based on Dolly’s projected path, about 1.5 million Texans could feel the storm’s effects.
