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Starr County residents deal with aftermath following weekend storm

Starr County residents deal with aftermath following weekend storm
1 day 49 minutes 42 seconds ago Sunday, March 08 2026 Mar 8, 2026 March 08, 2026 12:00 PM March 08, 2026 in News - Local
Source: KRGV

Multiple homes and vehicles were damaged by a weekend storm that brought hail, wind and rain.

The National Weather Service says the Texas Department of Public Safety reportedly saw hail up to the size of softballs in Rio Grande City overnight.

"It's like a small city, usually when a storm is coming, it just passes by," resident Marisa Faw said. "To see this much damage is just surprising to me."

Faw and her parents spent Sunday looking at what the overnight storm brought to their Rio Grande City home. Hail and strong wind broke windows on the home and car.

Faw says her neighbors near FM 3167 saw similar damage.

"Mostly on this side [of the street] we all know each other and we all help each other, whenever stuff comes down to this," Faw said.

Faw says in the 11 years her parents have lived here, they've never seen a storm do this much damage. Other residents were doing what they could to protect their home and cars after the storm.

The National Weather Service was also in the area. Their job is to determine how strong the storm was and to verify their weather warnings.

"Straight line wind, we call that a microburst, and then two, how strong were those winds. We're looking 65 to 70 [mph]," Warning Coordination Meteorologist Barry Goldsmith said. "The size doesn't always matter as much as the combination of amount of hail and wind when it comes to damage like what we're witnessing here."

In another neighborhood, less than half a mile away, the roof of a food trailer park collapsed, damaging one of the food trucks.

"For this to happen and for them, for us to call them, to tell them there's not going to be work tomorrow. I'm not going to let that happen now. We're going to take care of it right now and hoping for tomorrow. But in general the way it feels, it feels terrible, but is nothing like losing somebody," Silly Dogs Food Trailer Park co-owner Herbie Lopez said.

Lopez says the winds moved a trailer several feet from where it was parked and also caused a light pole to fall over.

Near La Esperanza, homes were still surrounded by water.

One of the first images that captured the power of the overnight storm showed a pickup truck crushed by a gas station roof. The area is surrounded by yellow tape to keep others away.

Rio Grande City Manager Gilbert Millan says they're visiting neighborhoods, to help those that need it.

"This information that we collect, we gather, is also going to help for government evaluation in case there's a disaster declaration," Millan said. "The gas station that you just mentioned is on the other side of town, so this is a city-wide issue."

While there's a long road ahead to fix the damage, no deaths were reported from the powerful overnight storm.

Both the National Weather Service and Rio Grande City officials are evaluating the damage. The city is asking anyone with damages to take photos and report it on the iSTAT survey.

To fill out the survey, click here.

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