Emily Descends On South Texas

Outer Bands of Hurricane Hit State; Residents Brace For More

(CBS/AP)  Yucatan Peninsula residents waded through knee-deep flood waters to assess damage Tuesday. Many are poor and came to the Yucatan Peninsula for jobs. They live in flimsy thatched huts just out of sight of the resorts.

Officials for the state of Quintana Roo estimated about 3,000 such huts were damaged or destroyed.

Tourists who spent the night in makeshift shelters emerged to try to find ways home. Many went to the Cancun airport, which reopened Monday after closing Sunday afternoon as the storm approached.

A steady stream of cars were crossing the border near Brownsville, Texas, Tuesday morning, hoping to avoid the brunt of the storm, reports Michael Board of CBS radio affiliate KTSA. Many Americans are cutting their vacations short, saying better safe than sorry.

But not Jack Howell.

"Noooo! Were going to hang out here and see what happens," he told Cobiella on South Padre Island.

After entering the Gulf of Mexico, Emily began strengthening as it moved on its west-northwesterly journey.

"Your luck can't be that good all of the time and we've been lucky," Cameron County park Ranger Arnold Flores said Monday night as he urged RV owners on South Padre Island to leave the resort city. "We haven't been hit like Florida has."

Still, some hoped the hurricane projected path would take Emily to Mexico and bring nothing more than some much needed rain to South Texas.

In Brownsville, drought-like conditions have persisted for months. Brownsville has gotten 2.85 inches of rain this year as of the end of June, which is about 8 inches below normal.

"My yard is kind of crunchy," South Padre Island restaurant owner Shawn Moore said. "I could use the rain."

Despite Brownsville's blue skies Tuesday morning, a hurricane warning was in effect for a roughly 40 mile stretch of coastline, from Port Mansfield south to the Mexico border. A hurricane watch was in effect from Port Mansfield north to Baffin Bay.

The Texas Army National Guard activated 225 soldiers for possible hurricane duty. An additional 100 Texas State Guard personnel were on standby.

Many South Texas residents have heeded the warnings and loaded up on water, batteries and canned food, said Carlos Acevedo, director of Cameron County's emergency communications district.

"It's just like having a baby," Acevedo said. "You know it is coming, but you don't know what to expect. It's not frustrating, but just an antsy feeling, just a feeling that something is pending — something that is going to require a lot of work once it does come our way."