BROWNSVILLE, Texas (AP) - Hurricane Alex is dumping rain in the Rio Grande Valley but easing concerns along the Texas side of the border as the Category 1 storm churns toward Mexico.

Cameron County Judge Carlos Cascos said Wednesday that Browsnsville and surrounding areas had "dodged a potentially violent storm." But flooding was still a worry, with Alex expected to make landfall later Wednesday.

Mexico was expected to take the brunt of Alex, but forecasters say some parts of deep south Texas could get as much as 15 inches of rain.

At least 70 residents had already taken shelter at a Brownsville high school. State officials also said they could shut down the causeway to South Padre Island if conditions became bad enough.

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