EL PASO, Texas — As most of the state of Texas has seen hot and dry temperatures this summer, over in El Paso, residents have seen record rainfall with another storm on the horizon.
As residents prepare for another storm, it’s important to remember the resources available. El Paso Water reminded folks to take advantage of free sandbags as they can help make a difference. Sandbags can be found at various El Paso Water offices as well as any fire department.
“We tell people if you don’t know how deep the water is, not to drive through,” said El Paso Water Public Affairs Officer Denise Parra.
Parra says that the city’s stormwater operations team works year-round. As part of their response protocol, crews typically respond post-event to extract standing water.
“If we get requests for areas that maybe the water has been standing for quite some time, our crews will respond to extracting that water, moving out of the way, or removing it altogether,” said Parra.
Dozens of road crews are staying busy, responding to water main breaks as the monsoon season continues to dump more rain.
Over the weekend, a Socorro Independent School District police car was swallowed by a sinkhole. El Paso Water told Spectrum News that a main water break caused the street to open.
“When a main break happens underground, all that water starts to accumulate,” said Parra. “At some point, that water is going to try and make its way out. And so, in many times that means kind of ripping through that street pavement, and it’s going to find the path of least resistance.”
As for reasons behind the streets being flooded, she says that many streets in El Paso are designed to push stormwater toward drains and eventually to the Rio Grande, which is the city’s lowest point. She advises the public to take advantage of their free sandbag service to help divert the water as more storms roll in.
“Just a few inches of rain can be dangerous depending in the amount of time that it falls,” said Parra.