Laredo Fire Department

🌧️ WEATHER UPDATE: Tropical Storm Bertha 🌧️

Tropical Storm Bertha is making landfall along the upper Texas coast, well north of Laredo. However, our area can still expect increased moisture, heavy rain, and potential strong thunderstorms through Friday at 6:00 AM.

Key Hazards:
☔️ Locally heavy rainfall & potential flash flooding
⛈️ Strong wind gusts & isolated severe thunderstorms

All City departments are actively monitoring conditions and coordinating with the National Weather Service. Please exercise extra caution while driving, keep headlights on, and avoid flooded roadways.

Stay tuned for updates! 🚨

🚨Clarification: The international bridges are not closing. Traffic may be briefly paused as a safety precaution while floating debris passes. Travelers should expect possible delays and continue monitoring official City updates. 🚨

Bridge Traffic Update

Out of an abundance of caution and due to floating debris, including buoys and other large objects moving downstream along the Rio Grande, the City of Laredo will temporarily suspend:

* Commercial traffic at the World Trade Bridge
* Vehicular and pedestrian traffic at International Bridges I & II

These temporary traffic suspensions will occur during with the passage of large debris (buoys, tree trunks and large floating debris) under the bridges. Bridge operations will be adjusted as needed as part of the City’s ongoing safety measures and coordination with local, state, and federal partners.

The City of Laredo continues to closely monitor river conditions and is working with partner agencies to assess potential impacts and maintain the safety of bridge operations.

Situational Awareness Update🚨

The EOC remains at Level II – Escalated Response Conditions, with an EOC coordination meeting scheduled for noon.

The first individual buoys began passing beneath the Colombia Bridge at approximately 5:45 a.m. So far, eight individual buoys have passed the bridge. Monitoring personnel are positioned at the Colombia Bridge and World Trade Bridge.

Fire, Police, CBP, and Border Patrol are coordinating through the EOC. Additional first responders are available, and response assets are being repositioned to identified areas of concern, including all international bridges, El Pico Canal and the Jefferson Water Treatment Plant.

We have coordinated with Public Works to ensure personnel and equipment are prepared to respond if any buoys become snagged or obstruct identified points of interest.

Current river levels at the Colombia Bridge are approximately 18.39 feet, with levels projected to reach 24 feet by noon. For the remainder of the city, levels are projected to reach approximately 5 feet by noon, with the minor flood stage beginning at 10 feet.

Monitoring and coordination will continue, and additional updates will be provided as conditions change.