Microburst
Knocks Out Power, Damages Homes and Businesses
Del Rio, Texas – In the early morning
hours of June 27 the town of Carrizo Springs was rocked by what many first
believed to be a tornado. County work crews and emergency responders quickly
scrambled to assess the damage as the town sat crippled by a power outage that
consumed the entire city. Agents from the Carrizo Springs Border Patrol Station
were quickly assembled and deployed into the town to assist Dimmit County
deputies and constables with barricading unsafe roadways, diverting traffic and
locating citizens in need of aid.
As dawn broke, the effects of what
meteorologists have categorized as a microburst - which is a localized column
of sinking air, producing damaging divergent and straight-line winds at the
surface of the earth - could be seen throughout the community. Trees were
uprooted, power poles snapped in half and entire roofs lay crumbled in the
streets. Businesses in downtown reported broken windows, some significant
structural damage and others found merchandise lying in the streets.
As is now typical in Carrizo Springs,
roadways quickly began to congest with early morning oilfield and commuter
traffic. Every traffic light in town was inoperative, debris littered the roads
and local community leaders organized to discuss how their small work force
would react to the crisis. As they took to the streets they found Border Patrol
agents already in place to assist local deputies with traffic at every major
intersection and manning barricades at roads riddled with large debris and live
downed power lines. Border Patrol deployment allowed sheriff’s deputies to
mobilize for emergency call outs and continue searching for any citizens that
may have been in distress.
An Emergency Operations Center, where
local and emergency officials gathered to coordinate efforts, was activated and
a Regional Mobile Response Command trailer, under the direction of the Middle
Rio Grande Development Council- Homeland Security Department, was deployed to
allow interagency communications. The Integrated Frontline Resources Alliance
Campaign (which is an interactive partnership between Federal, State and Local
Law Enforcement, Private Industry Leaders and Petroleum Industry Executives
working together to ensure the safety of those who live, work, transit or
conduct business operations in the region) initiated a call tree to contact
partners for collection and dissemination of pertinent information. For many
involved this was the first opportunity to see the efforts of the IFRAC
initiative come together and react to a real-life scenario in the interest of
public safety.
Temperatures continued to climb near 100
degrees as electrical services could not be restored and emergency generator
services remained nonfunctional at the local hospital and nursing home. Local
officials then began preparations to evacuate patients and transport them to
emergency shelters. With the assistance of IFRAC partner Chesapeake Energy
Corporation, mechanics from NOMAC Drilling Company arrived at the hospital and
promptly repaired the emergency generator system. The commitment to the community
by these companies spared many fragile individuals from having to be exposed to
unneeded discomfort and a potentially life-threatening move to a non-sterilize
environment.
Electrical services were reportedly
restored to all but a handful of residents by late afternoon. However, to
ensure the safety and well being of all, sheriff’s deputies, constables, and
Border Patrol agents again took to the streets and conducted public broadcast
announcements via vehicle public address systems in an attempt to locate anyone
still in need of assistance or medical treatment.
As a result of the collaborating efforts
of all the agencies involved, the community of Carrizo Springs reported no
injuries, illnesses or deaths. All roadways were cleared of debris and
barricades removed by the end of the day. Although emergency shelters remained
opened throughout the evening, there were no residents reported to need
lodging, and all public works systems were fully functional by the end of the
day.
County Judge Frank Ponce stated, “I want
to thank the agents of the U.S. Border Patrol for their assistance. They were
the first ones to respond and have been here the entire time. You guys have never
let us down, not once.”
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is
the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged
with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and
between official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and
terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.
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