This past weekend, June 20-22, 2013, multiple cities in Del Rio, Texas, Sector received well over a foot of rain and faced the danger of flooding. Among the hardest hit was Eagle Pass, Texas, which had earlier received several inches of rain before being drenched with another 10.7 inches Friday night, June 14, 2013. The flash flood caused by the deluge put the lives of many residents in danger. Border Patrol Agents stationed in Eagle Pass were quick to help the community, spending most of early Saturday morning rescuing individuals trapped by the rising water. Some of the most affected areas were the Elm Creek, Seco Mines and Las Quintas areas and the homes near Herradura and Venessa Streets. Many of the calls and rescue locations required agents to navigate through waist-deep flood waters. Besides responding to calls, many agents patrolled the worst affected areas looking for individuals which were stranded and required help. Agents also worked in conjunction with the City of Eagle Pass Fire Department, going door to door and evacuating residents from their homes. All evacuated residents were transported to the temporary shelter site at the International Trade Center building.
Due to the heavy rain, Elm Creek and other waterways flooded over the highways, making them impassable. Highway 277 North was shut down early Friday and late Friday night into Saturday morning. As the waters swelled other roadways also became treacherous. Upon discovering that many roads used by Border Patrol agents to travel from their homes to work stations were flooded, Local 2366 contacted Del Rio Sector and requested that employees residing in the Del Rio, Uvalde, and Eagle Pass areas be allowed to report to the nearest Border Patrol station rather than be required to travel to their duty station. Del Rio Sector management was quick to grant the Union’s request and agents coming in to work were provided the opportunity to either report to their home station or use emergency annual leave. Additionally, after the rains from Friday night subsided, employees at both Eagle Pass North and South Stations were contacted by their stations’ managers to insure that they were safe. Local 2366 applauds Del Rio Sector and its employees who handled the impact of this calamity with swiftness and prudence, balancing employee safety with local life-saving efforts.
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