Brian McDonald
Tropical Storm Alberto made landfall in northeastern Mexico on Thursday morning as the first named storm of the season, bringing heavy rains that left at least three people dead but also brought hope to a region suffering from a severe and prolonged drought.
The storm is expected to make landfall in the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday morning, then quickly weaken over land and dissipate later in the day, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.
Alberto’s rain fell on both sides of the border, stretching across much of the southern Texas coast and as far south as the Mexican state of Veracruz.
Getty Images
The hurricane center said 2 to 4 inches of rain is expected in some areas along the Texas coast, with even higher isolated totals possible. Some higher locations in Mexico could see up to 50 centimeters, which could result in landslides and flash floods, especially in the states of Tamaulipas, Coahuila and Nuevo Leon.
Mexican authorities downplayed the risk posed by Alberto and instead pinned their hopes on his ability to alleviate the arid region’s water needs.
“The speed (of the wind) is not such that we consider this a risk,” Tamaulipas state Secretary of Hydrological Resources Raúl Quiroga Álvarez said during a press conference Wednesday night. Instead, he suggested that people greet Alberto with joy. “This is what we have been waiting for for eight years throughout Tamaulipas.”
Much of Mexico has suffered severe drought conditions, with northern Mexico especially hard hit. Quiroga noted that the state’s reservoirs were low and Mexico owed the United States a huge water debt for shared use of the Rio Grande.
“This is a win-win event for Tamaulipas,” he said.
But in the neighboring state of Nuevo León, civil protection authorities reported three deaths linked to Alberto’s rains. They said that a man died in the La Silla River, in the city of Monterrey, the state capital, and that two minors died from electric shocks in the municipality of Allende. Local media reported that the minors were riding bicycles in the rain.
Nuevo Leon Governor Samuel García wrote on his account on social media platform passes.
People in Mexico expressed hope that Alberto would bring rain.
Tampico resident Blanca Coronel Moral ventured to the city’s waterfront on Wednesday to await Alberto’s arrival.
“We need this water that we are receiving now, thank God. Let’s hope we only get water”, said Colonel Moral. “Our lagoon, which gives us drinking water, is completely dry.”
Authorities closed schools for the rest of the week in Tamaulipas as there could be localized flooding.
bol co
jogo de terror online
novela sbt ao vivo
wishlist
musica terra seca
taça png
