Hidalgo County issues disaster declaration due to ongoing drought

EDINBURG, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Hidalgo County Judge Richard F. Cortez issued a disaster declaration on Tuesday regarding the ongoing drought.

Due to "the prolonged period of exceptional drought conditions," the declaration stated the drought conditions "pose an imminent and continuous threat of widespread or severe damage, injury or loss of life or property and to public health, municipal water supplies and agricultural production."

The declaration is effective immediately and will last for seven days.

The Hidalgo County Commissioners Court may vote to extend the declaration at the next meeting on April 16.

"We have been working diligently to assess the scope of the problem and how it is affecting the residents of Hidalgo County," Cortez said. "This declaration is the first step in securing statewide aid to help us through what is predicted to be another dry summer."

The disaster declaration comes one month after Texas Governor Greg Abbott renewed his own disaster declaration on March 17, 2024, for several counties throughout Texas.

Abbott issued his initial disaster declaration in April 2018 and has renewed it every six months.

Cortez's declaration activates the country's emergency management plan and allows Hidalgo County to begin to tap into statewide funding to mitigate any drought-related problems, including an ongoing wildfire threat, according to the release.