RGISC Rio Grande International Study Center

Outdoor learning creates moments students never forget. 🌿

Elementary educator Alfredo “Mr. Q” Quesada shares how hands-on experiences in nature spark curiosity and help students see that science is happening all around them.

At RGISC, we’re proud to support educators with tools and curriculum that inspire the next generation of environmental stewards.

Because the best classroom doesn’t always have four walls.

16 Years Ago Today, on July 8–9, 2010, the Rio Grande showed Laredo just how powerful it can be.
Record breaking flooding pushed the river to historic levels, and the City of Laredo issued mandatory evacuation orders for entire neighborhoods along Chacon, Quail Creeks, Los Martinez, Cheyenne subdivisions, Masterson Road, Allen Street, Ventura & Vidaurri, along the riverbanks. Families were displaced overnight. Streets became rivers. A city held its breath and watched the Rio Grande rewrite what “flood level” meant.

The numbers are staggering:

📏 The Rio Grande crested at roughly 42 FEET, the second-highest level ever recorded here.
🌊 Flow rates surged to an estimated 7,500 cubic meters per second, more than DOUBLE any previous record on this stretch of river.
🌳 The current was so powerful it carried uprooted trees and massive shipping containers, for miles downstream.

WERE YOU THERE?
Do you have photos, videos, or memories from the 2010 flood? Share them with us in the comments or send us a DM, let’s build a community archive of this historic moment so it’s never forgotten. 📸

Tag someone who lived through it. Drop your photos below.