Claudia Cowan reports on the scene.

UPDATE:
I think we are getting the worst of it. The power is out here at the condo where we had a live shot with the satellite truck. The truck has to stow its gear because the wind gusts are so strong. A photographer I am working with, who has been through a number of hurricanes including Katrina, says the gusts are more than 100 mph. To me it looks like someone is standing with a giant fire house and aiming it at the ground.

The power is also out at the Sheraton where Claudia Cowan is now doing lives. Or trying to. That equipment seems to be on the fritz. Claudia emailed me and said one of their beachfront windows blew out. Our sat truck guy said a huge glass panel at the nearby Holiday Inn also collapsed. It’s a little scary. And with no power, it is also a little creepy. Our photographer also just found the back window to his truck busted.

10am:
We are here on South Padre Island as Hurricane Dolly is headed our way! We are holed up in a condo on the beach, which offers us at least some protection.

Our satellite truck, the only one of three working, has had to come up and down because of the high winds. The winds are crazy. Being in a wind tunnel is exactly what it is like. If we lose our shot, we have a stream box set up in a hotel nearby. Basically it sort of like going live via computer so we need a high speed Internet connection.

So far, there are no problems on South Padre Island. The main road in and out is closed so we’re stuck. Dolly is a category one now but it may become a category two they say.

However irritating, the winds are not what they are really worried about- or even the surge- but the massive amounts of rain that will be dumped in the area. A lot of the areas inland are low lying and sit close to the Rio Grande. With rain falling out both sides of the border, tributaries will feed into the river and may cause even more problems in a couple days.

FOR MORE COVERAGE OF HURRICANE DOLLY, CLICK OVER TO JANICE DEAN’S BLOG >>