BROWNSVILLE, Texas -- Hurricane Dolly has weakened into a tropical storm, but the dangers are not over for residents of south Texas.

Texans Try To Dry Out

The storm is centered near Laredo with top winds of 45 mph. Forecasters said they expect to cancel the tropical storm warning for the Texas coast soon, and what's left of the storm is expected to break up by Friday

But emergency officials in Hidalgo County still are urging residents to stay at home "unless it's life or death." They're concerned about power lines that have fallen or are hanging low over flooded streets and neighborhoods.

During the storm, authorities rescued about 30 families stranded by high water in Cameron county. Power is out to about 60 percent of customers there.

Gov. Rick Perry has declared 14 south Texas counties disaster areas and is seeking federal disaster declarations.

The storm crashed ashore Wednesday on South Padre Island, with winds in excess of 100 mph. The rain set records in Brownsville's Cameron County -- ranging from 6 to 12 inches, with more expected.

More than 5,000 people moved to public shelters in the three hardest-hit counties and the numbers were expected to grow Thursday as more people became stranded by floodwaters. About 200,000 customers are reported to be without electricity.

Traffic is picking up on Brownsville-area roads littered with debris as people emerged the day after Dolly's soaking rains and punishing winds.

Possible Tornado Hits San Antonio

A possible tornado believed to have spawned off from Tropical Storm Dolly touched down south of downtown San Antonio Thursday morning, television station KSAT reported

The roof of a Whataburger restaurant suffered heavy damage.

There were no immediate reports of injuries.

KSAT reported that residents in the area were walking around "somewhat stunned" by what had happened.

A man told the station that he saw a "circular motion" in the air when the strong winds roared through the neighborhood. A woman said she heard a roar when winds lifted her home.