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Harlingen declares disaster after unprecedented rainfall; city and volunteers conduct more than 1,000 rescues
Summary
Mayor Norma Sepulveda declared a state of disaster after heavy rains flooded Harlingen, prompting a multi-agency rescue and sheltering response. City officials, emergency crews and volunteers reported 1,041 rescues and ongoing shelter and meal operations; residents urged the commission to address long-standing drainage problems.
Harlingen Mayor Norma Sepulveda declared a state of disaster March 26 after an intense rainfall event that, officials said, dumped as much as 16–22 inches in parts of the city and left entire neighborhoods under water. The declaration followed a multi-agency emergency response that included municipal fire and police departments, Harlingen Public Works, Texas Department of Public Safety, Border Patrol and mutual-aid strike teams brought in from other counties.
The mayor told the commission that local crews and mutual-aid partners conducted an "astonishing number of 1,041 rescues" from Thursday night through the early morning response and established an emergency shelter at the Harlingen Convention Center. "As of this morning, I've declared a state of disaster for the city of Harlingen," Sepulveda said during the meeting. City staff reported continuous rescue and recovery operations between the onset of heavy rain and the end of emergency calls Saturday morning.
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