SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations (AMO) aerostat was found more than 600 miles away from where it originally broke free.
On Monday, AMO announced that it experienced severe winds which resulted in one of its aerostats breaking free from its tether on South Padre Island. An aerostat system is a radar surveillance blimp used by CBP.
Joe Vega, Cameron County park director, said when the cable snapped, it hit some power lines and a transformer, causing parts of Isla Blanca to be without power. Due to the damage from the heavy winds the aerostat was lost shortly after breaking free.
WFAA reported that Quinlan Texas Fire and Rescue found the blimp in Hunt County, about 30 miles east of Dallas.
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