Tropical storm Dolly, which strengthened into a Category 2 hurricane, hit the southern tip of Texas yesterday, shaking houses with violent winds and generating tornado warnings, as well as increasing fears of considerable flooding.

Dolly, the first Atlantic hurricane to hammer the U.S. in 2008, reached the land at South Padre Island, in close proximity to the Texas-Mexico border, about 1 p.m. with winds topping 100 mph, the National Weather Service reported. Roughly two hours later, winds decelerated to 95 mph. Therefore, Dolly was relegated to a Category 1. But it kept on covering a considerable swath of the Rio Grande Valley with heavy rains. A few hours later it was downgraded again, this time to a tropical storm.

Flooded road and rail network, downed power lines and damaged buildings were reported in South Texas. The most important highway connecting McAllen to Brownsville was covered with downed palms and fallen marquees. At least 100,000 people were left without electricity by Wednesday evening, said American Electric Power, and officials stated repairs could last days.

Emergency officials were convinced that the Rio Grande Valley would not encounter difficulties and would endure Dolly's gusts, which reduced while the storm headed inland. But they admitted to have been worried about the fact that torrential rains, which were predicted in most neighborhoods, could lead to extensive flooding. "I think the worst is yet to come," said Carlos Cascos, the judge for coastal Cameron County, which comprises Brownsville.

In preparation for the disaster, emergency officials in Cameron County and nearby Hidalgo County lend a hand to inhabitants in order to fill thousands of sandbags (more than 40,000 in Weslaco, Texas, a city with a population of 27,000.). Seriously worried about the powerful winds and sheets of rain, many Brownsville residents required shelter in government buildings, outside the low-lying areas and resacas, former channels of the Rio Grande found in the southern half of Cameron County that turned into lakes and lagoons.

Authorities expressed concern regarding Dolly having an outcome similar to the one Hurricane Beulah had in 1967, when it flooded the same area, killing no less than 58 people and causing more than $1.2 billion in damage.

By Wednesday evening, Dolly had dumped massive amounts of water, more than 6 inches on Brownsville. "The rainfall rates could be even higher than 15 inches, so flooding is the main concern," said J.J. Brost, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service's southern-region headquarters in Fort Worth.

Officials mobilized the Mexican army by the side of the boundary, sending almost 1,000 troops for relief work. Texas Governor Rick Perry activated 1,200 National Guard personnel, in addition to the emergency planners who parked 250 buses in San Antonio, in case of emergency. He also said that search and rescue teams were ready to step in with six helicopters, 50 land vehicles and 50 boats and added that the U.S. state was supporting 17 shelters around Texas, where 2,800 people had sheltered beginning Wednesday afternoon.