Thread by @TexasTribune

1/ Hurricane Hanna left gaping holes and waist-deep cracks on the banks of the Rio Grande this weekend, threatening the long-term stability of a privately funded border wall.

Read our latest with @ProPublica: bit.ly/2BFe0fq

2/ Engineering experts who reviewed photos of the cracks said the damage reinforces what many have said: Building and maintaining a border fence so close to the river is a long-term problem. bit.ly/2BFe0fq

3/ Earlier this summer, we reported with @ProPublica that the wall was showing signs of erosion that threatened its stability and could cause it to topple into the river if not fixed. bit.ly/3fcWfSy

4/ With two or three more storms like Hanna, the holes could expand to the point where the soil underneath, without support, would collapse.

Texas is in the middle of what is projected to be a busy hurricane season. bit.ly/2BFe0fq

5/ This section of the wall along the river was a showcase project by Fisher Industries’ CEO Tommy Fisher.

Fisher said the erosion is to be expected given the amount of rainfall. He said that “the fence is in perfect shape.” bit.ly/2BFe0fq

6/ But even before the hurricane, photos revealed large gashes at various points along the structure where rainwater runoff had scoured the sandy loam beneath the foundation.

Experts said that shouldn’t be happening. bit.ly/2BFe0fq

7/ Earlier this month, U.S. District Judge Randy Crane instructed attorneys to work out details of an inspection and to come to an agreement about fixes for a section that violates a treaty with Mexico by deflecting too much water during floods. bit.ly/2BFe0fq

8/ Our reporting with @ProPublica prompted President Trump to claim earlier this month that the project had been done to make him look bad.

Thread here 👇

https://twitter.com/propublica/status/1282339121189588993

9/ On that same day, U.S. Attorney Ryan Patrick of the Southern District of Texas called the private wall a “vanity project” and a “scam.”

Read more here. bit.ly/2BFe0fq

10/10 Sign up for @ProPublica’s Big Story newsletter here: go.propublica.org/big-story-tt

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