‘Dare to Prepare' readies residents for disaster

McALLEN — Cris Hernandez wants her tenants to be ready if another big storm hits the Rio Grande Valley this year.

The Edinburg woman is the apartment manager for Champion Gardens, 1802 W. Samano St., Edinburg. Crews there are still repairing roofs and painting property damaged by last year’s Hurricane Dolly.

The summer storm made landfall at South Padre Island as a Category 1 hurricane, walloping the region with estimated maximum winds of 86 mph and dumping as much as 14 inches of rain in some areas. Thousands of people were left without power, and some parts of Cameron, Hidalgo and Willacy counties remained flooded for weeks and months afterward. Damage in Cameron and Hidalgo counties alone totaled more than $250 million.

Hernandez and her husband, Genaro, remember wading through the flooded complex to check on tenants and finding car ports “flipped over like sardine cans” on the street, she said. The roof of one apartment collapsed, requiring Hernandez to move a mother and her child to a safer location.

“It was so scary to deal with,” the apartment manager said.

On Saturday, Hernandez and her family attended a disaster readiness expo at the McAllen Convention Center to learn what she can do to prepare in case catastrophe strikes again.

“It was a close call with Dolly,” she said. “When I heard of (Saturday’s event), it was heaven-sent.”

The expo featured information booths from emergency management officials throughout the Valley, including an exhibit of Weslaco’s mobile disaster relief station, which was used during Hurricane Dolly to treat the injured.

Dubbed “Dare to Prepare,” the event was organized by the Hidalgo County Judge’s Office. Officials said they hoped to instill confidence in the community that emergency responders in the Valley are prepared for a variety of disasters.

“We’ve had so many disasters,” said Hidalgo County spokeswoman Cari Lambrecht. “Everything from Dolly to fires to a (pandemic) flu (outbreak) … just one thing after another after another.”

Not everyone at the expo went there for tips on disaster readiness, though.

“I wanted to do the rock climbing,” said 11-year-old Amanda Robledo, referring to a climbing wall that had been set up.

Though she was too young to climb, the girl passed the time gathering freebies and checking out the emergency response vehicles parked inside the convention center.

Meanwhile, her mother, Norma Robledo, gathered brochures and information sheets she planned on sharing with coworkers at the Texas Department of Transportation.

“It’s good to make sure you’re giving information and notices in advance,” Hernandez said. “We need to make sure everybody is safe.”