Despite the noise of heavy machinery in the area, people who live near Stuart Place and Wilson Road are excited for what's coming.

"I woke up and the machinery is here, and I just couldn't be happier,” Harlingen resident Wendy Velasquez said. “I almost cried because I don’t want to flood again."

Velasquez moved into the neighborhood off Los Ranchitos in 2017. Since then, her home has flooded twice. Once in 2019, and again during the March 2025 floods, where five inches of water crept into her home.

Velasquez said she believes improvements to the canal in her neighborhood will make a difference.

Cameron County Drainage District #5 is overseeing the project. General manager Rolando Vela said the improvements are part of an ongoing maintenance project that has crews clearing the canal and

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