A 30- to 40-minute downpour on Thursday sent water, sand and debris crashing down a hillside behind Ana Rodriguez's home on Texas Red Drive, burying her car and patio furniture in mud and forcing her family out of the house entirely. The Lower Valley resident says sand piled up almost half the height of her home, and she is now asking officials for help before the next storm does even more damage.
Water Poured Over the Rock Wall in Minutes
Rodriguez told KFOX that she watched water come over her rock wall carrying sand and pieces of trees, and she scrambled to shove towels, pillows and other items against her walls to try to slow the flow. It wasn't enough. The runoff still made it inside, damaging her floors, bedroom furniture and kitchen cabinets, according to the station's report.
Firefighters shut off power to the home because of an electrical hazard, and Rodriguez's family has been staying elsewhere since. She also told the outlet she noticed a crack in the home and is worried the rock wall behind the property could eventually give way under more pressure.
A Decade of Warnings, She Says
Rodriguez believes the sand came from unmaintained land behind her house, and she says she has been raising concerns about that stretch of hillside since 2015. She wants the area cleared so water can safely move away from her property instead of pooling against it, and she says she feels her voice isn't being heard.
The land behind her home connects to the Blackie Chesher Escobar soccer fields, and per the same account, the Ysleta Independent School District is now trying to determine where the runoff originated and which entity may bear responsibility. The district told KFOX it is reviewing property lines, drainage conditions and a longstanding agreement with the city of El Paso that addresses ownership, use and maintenance responsibilities for the land.
District Says It Hasn't Reached a Conclusion
District officials said they spoke with Rodriguez on Thursday morning and are reviewing the situation. In a statement to KFOX, the district said it has not determined that the reported damage was caused by a condition for which it is responsible, but added that it will continue working with appropriate parties while investigating and will coordinate further as facts are confirmed.
Rodriguez, for her part, said she believes her homeowners insurance will not cover the damage since it originated from outside the home itself. The district's review continues.
A Separate Storm Incident
In a separate incident reported by KFOX in 2018, an eight-foot rock wall at a west El Paso business near Suncrest Street and Wallenberg Avenue collapsed during a Monday storm around 6:30 p.m., damaging nearby property and vehicles. That wall had been repaired over the years, but crews still had to remove rocks and vacuum water out of buildings in the area afterward.
For now, Rodriguez is focused on getting answers before the next heavy rain hits her property again. Her case remains open as the school district continues sorting out where the water came from and who, if anyone, is on the hook for what it left behind.
