Officials Respond to Unsafe Roadways After Overnight Storm, Flash Flooding

Heavy rain and hail dealt damage to property and infrastructure across Val Verde County overnight. For some Del Rio residents living on Tomahawk Trail, unsafe conditions garnered visits from Councilwoman Carmen Gutierrez and City Manager Shawna Burkhart.

The storm washed out gravel applied by city maintenance crews filling space around underground gas lines. The result? Divots that run along the entire block and reach seven inches deep in some places.

Angie Prather, a homeowner on Tomahawk, says the roadwork has been a messy problem since May.

“They [the City of Del Rio] put in the gas lines about May. And they filled it up but they didn’t put asphalt on it. And at the first rain, it started drifting all the debris (gravel) down to the corner. After last night, it washed out this whole road.”

Prather says she worried about the potential safety hazard the ruts posed. “It’s supposed to be a gas line. So if we drive across it, are we getting close to the gas line? I didn’t know.” She decided to notify the City directly.

Councilwoman Gutierrez says the state of the roads on Tomahawk are partly the fault of City crews. After witnessing the problem herself, she, along with Burkhart, vowed to address the problem as quickly as possible.

Gutierrez tells DRN the trenches are scheduled to be filled as soon as Monday. 

Separately, Val Verde County Commissioner Juan Carlos Vasquez reports that Myers Road, north of the Border Patrol checkpoint, is closed until Monday due to flooding. Myers is expected to be cleared by Monday.

In total, Del Rio saw around 2-to-3 inches of rain, while areas north of Comstock saw a whopping 7-to-8 inches. DRN’s meteorologist Alex Menchaca says this substantial rainfall in northern Val Verde County contributed to the rapid rise of San Felipe Creek, which saw dramatic flooding.

But Menchaca says the worst is behind us, and reports clear skies and a cold front are expected throughout the new week.