Storm cleanup begins in Hidalgo County

MISSION, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Severe weather Friday night left hundreds of Hidalgo County residents with extensive damages to their businesses, homes and yards.

Roofs were torn off buildings, while billboards were left on the ground.  All this was caused by wtrong winds that reached nearly 80 miles per hour. 

"Nothing had ever scared me like this before. It was really scary. I felt like my backdoor was just going to blow in, and we could actually feel raindrops coming in through the door filtering in through the door. So that was really scary," said Mission resident Vangie Garza

The damage throughout the county has also left thousands without power. AEP Texas confirmed electricity for some customers may not be restored until Monday. Downed trees on power lines, along with strong winds, have left many in the dark and experiencing damage worse than that of Hurricane Hanna in 2020.

"Early estimates are that we had winds easily in the 80 to 85 mile an hour range here in the McAllen area, that's very high. It's about 10 to 15 miles an hour higher than the winds we experienced three years ago during Hurricane Hanna. And so, for people who are saying this is worse than the damage we had during Hanna, they're absolutely correct," said McAllen emergency management coordinator and assistant city manager Jeff Johnston.

When it comes to cleaning up - county officials encourage residents to...