(July 22, 2008)—If Hurricane Dolly stays on its projected path, about 1.5 million people could feel the effects of the storm as it makes landfall, the U.S. Census Bureau said Tuesday.
Dolly spun into a Category 1 hurricane Tuesday on a path toward the heavily populated Rio Grande Valley.
Officials fear heavy rains could cause massive flooding and levee breaks.
Dolly was upgraded from a tropical storm Tuesday afternoon with sustained winds near 75 miles per hour.
Some additional strengthening is forecast before landfall Wednesday.
What’s In The Path Of The Hurricane?
(Source: U.S. Census Bureau)
According to the Census Bureau's 2006 American Community Survey, the median housing value in Brownsville (the county seat of Cameron County) is $68,500. Nearly 60 percent of the homes were built before 1990. The median household income is about $26,000, and nearly 41 percent of the population lives in poverty. Additionally, about 12 percent of the 50,000 occupied homes are without access to a vehicle.
According to the Census Bureau's 2006 County Business Patterns, there are 6,353 businesses in Cameron County with paid employees, employing 95,671 workers, with about $2.1 billion in total annual payroll. The sector with the most businesses in Cameron County is health care and social assistance, representing 919 businesses, and employing some 28,378 people with a total annual payroll of $659 million.
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