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hurricane odile

The body of missing Central Texas sheriff’s deputy Jessica Hollis has been found in Lake Austin on September 19.

On Thursday, September 18, Jessica Hollis’ patrol car was found swamped by floodwaters minutes after she radioed for help while checking flooded low-water crossings.

Efforts to locate the deputy had been suspended before nightfall Thursday because of the storms, which were remnants of Hurricane Odile.

The National Weather Service forecasts more heavy rain through Saturday over much of West Texas, with flash flood watches issued through Friday night. Rain fell Friday in Southeast Texas and elsewhere in the state, with high waters clogging roadways and impeding traffic in metro areas such as Austin and Houston.

Deputy Jessica Hollis worked with the Travis County Sheriff’s Office for seven years

Deputy Jessica Hollis worked with the Travis County Sheriff’s Office for seven years (photo Travis County Sheriff’s Office)

Jessica Hollis, 35, a seven-year veteran of the department, was checking low-water crossings during storms. She radioed shortly before 2 a.m. CDT Thursday to say her patrol car was being washed away in an Austin-area subdivision, Travis County sheriff’s spokesman Roger Wade said.

Her empty car was found a short time later, but she could not be located.

Earlier this week, rainfall pelted parts of the state. In Plainview, about 45 miles north of Lubbock, 4½ inches of rain was reported over 24 hours ending at 2 p.m. CDT Thursday.

The Austin area received 5 to 7 inches of rain early Thursday, Van Pelt said. About 40 miles north of Austin, near Jarrell, a weather service observer measured almost 1½ inches of rain within 30 minutes.

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Hurricane Odile will hit the southern end of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula in the coming hours, the US National Hurricane Center says.

Officials described the storm as highly dangerous.

The Mexican authorities have declared a maximum alert for the region and have prepared shelters for up to 30,000 people around the tourist resort of Los Cabos.

US Marines have been placed on standby to help out.

Residents and businesses were preparing as Hurricane Odile raced towards the peninsula.

The Mexican authorities have declared a maximum alert for Baja California as Hurricane Odile will hit the region in the coming hours

The Mexican authorities have declared a maximum alert for Baja California as Hurricane Odile will hit the region in the coming hours

The National Hurricane Center said Odile was initially a category 4 hurricane, with winds of up to 135 mph, but it lost some strength and was expected to be a category 3 when it made landfall on Sunday night, September 14.

In the Los Cabos resort, the authorities warned people to stay off the beach, remain indoors and keep away from doors and windows.

Officials said electricity would be shut off in the area as the storm hit to avoid damage from power lines if they came down.

At least 26,000 foreign tourists and 4,000 Mexicans were in the region, local officials said, and those in areas at risk of flooding were being evacuated.

Luis Puente, the head of Mexico’s civil protection agency, told reporters that 164 shelters had been readied with a capacity for 30,000 people.

Storm experts said it was set to be the strongest hurricane to hit the southern tip of the peninsula since Kiko in 1989, which landed as a category 3.

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