Dolly Wallops, But Levees Hold

Hurricane Dolly barreled into South Texas today, lashing the coast with winds up to 100 mph and dumping heavy rain that threatened to flood low-lying areas but spared levees along the heavily populated Rio Grande Valley. "The levees are holding up just fine," said an emergency coordinator for Cameron County. "There is no indication right now that they are going to crest."

Although the Category 2 storm weakened after striking land on the resort area of South Padre Island, one official cautioned that the danger had not passed. "It's still very early." Small communities just north of Brownsville were taking the brunt of the storm, including low-lying colonias, small villages of immigrants who live without sewer and water service. In Mexico, Dolly toppled trees and sent billboards flying in the city of Matamoros. (More Hurricane Dolly stories.)