Brownsville community leaders organized a Friday emergency cleanup to clear trash from streets ahead of expected rain and potential flooding.

According to Cameron County Judge Eddie Treviño, Jr., the county is currently expecting heavy rainfall from Monday evening through Wednesday.

During the cleanup, a crane helped crews haul away large items, and residents were able to drop off unwanted belongings at the event.

Brownsville District 3 Commissioner Gustavo De Leon put the cleanup together.

"With the upcoming rain and the flooding that we've had, I thought it was important to get ahead of it and hold this emergency cleanup," De Leon said.

The cleanup focused on the Central Avenue area. De Leon has hosted similar events before, but this one allowed residents to drop off their own items.

Kenny Robertson was one of dozens of people who showed up. He dropped off an old sofa.

"Instead of just putting it outside or putting it somewhere, we were waiting for something for the community that they would do something like this so we can dispose of it the proper way," Robertson said.

Others hit the streets to collect trash themselves. Jason Medina, director of STX Metal Trades, volunteered his time driving through neighborhoods.

"Basically we just drive around looking for piles of trash and unfortunately they're not hard to find," Medina said.

Medina volunteered alongside classmates from the Industrial Trade Center School.

"Sometimes the city of Brownsville or the Greater Brownsville EDC will sponsor scholarships for our students, so they'll pay for their education. This is our way of encouraging our students to give back to the community that gave to them," Medina said.

Past events have averaged around 34,000 pounds of trash. Officials expect this cleanup to bring in at least 35,000 pounds, though the final total won't be released until next week.

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