Hurricane season starts in about three months, and Hidalgo County is getting ready for it with a new drainage project underway in Edinburg.

Hidalgo County Precinct 4 is paying for the project with COVID funds through the American Rescue Plan. 

Residents came together Wednesday to witness the groundbreaking of the stormwater drainage project. 

Sergio Martinez said he and others have struggled with flooding for years.

"It's affecting all my neighbors," Martinez said."I'm a truck driver, and it's been a couple of times that I can not even take my truck out of there." 

When it rains, water backs up onto the street because it has nowhere to go. Heavy rains cause the water to linger in small ditches, eventually overflowing, and causing a lot of flooding.

Project engineer Raul Cecine said the new system is designed to move water out of small drainage ditches more quickly, keeping floodwaters out of neighborhoods.

The project is expected to be completed within four months.

Watch the video above for the full story.