Flood forces parts of Texas border town to empty

[September 18, 2008]  PRESIDIO, Texas (AP) -- The rain-swollen Rio Grande began sloshing over a levee near this border town Tuesday, and officials cleared everyone from low-lying areas as they awaited a deluge they said was inevitable.

"There's nothing we can do. The water is coming," said James Leiman, a spokesman for the International Water and Boundary Commission.

Hundreds of people in Presidio and nearby Redford already had fled their homes by the time flood control crews were pulled back Tuesday. State officials said floodwaters were expected to flow through Presidio, a city of about 5,000, later Tuesday.

Water had started flowing over a levee outside the city, although it had not broken the structure, said Presidio city administrator Cynthia Clark.

Presidio officials went door-to-door asking people to evacuate and made the same announcement from a helicopter.

Officials were concerned that a few people in the evacuation areas refused to leave their homes, including illegal immigrants, Clark said.

"We're not asking their legal status. The info ... is not being shared with Border Patrol, and they have not asked for it," she said. "If you have a problem with your legal status don't have that be a reason to stay at home."

The city opened a shelter at an elementary school and about 100 people were staying there Tuesday. Classes were scheduled to go on Wednesday at the school, Clark said.

Water releases from the Mexican state of Chihuahua have led to most of the problems. Recent rain has filled the Rio Conchos river system, which feeds into the Rio Grande, and Mexican officials have been releasing water to ease massive flooding on the southern side of the border. The rain was not related to Hurricane Ike, which hit hundreds of miles to the east.

Across the border near Ojinaga, Mexico, searchers were looking for a small plane carrying the U.S. and Mexican heads of the International Water and Boundary Commission. The plane was reported missing Monday during a flight intended to give the officials a view of the floodwaters.

The IWBC is responsible for maintaining border levees on the Rio Grande, which separates Mexico and the United States.

Presidio is about 200 miles southeast of El Paso.

[Associated Press]

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