News 8's Tracy Gladden caught up with the firefighters before they headed off on the mission to the coast.

The first Atlantic hurricane of the year strengthened to a Category 2 storm with sustained winds of near 100 mph as it plowed toward the Mexican Gulf coast and South Texas.

The National Hurricane Center said Hurricane Alex will hit Northeastern Mexico at 9pm Central Standard Time.

Officials evacuated thousands of people from Mexican fishing villages Wednesday, as Hurricane Alex approached.

The storm is far from the Gulf oil spill, but cleanup vessels were sidelined by the hurricane's ripple effects. Six-foot waves churned up by the hurricane splattered beaches in Louisiana, Alabama and Florida with oil and tar balls.

Hurricane Alex flooded roads and forced thousands of people to evacuate fishing villages.

Ripple effects also reached South Padre Island Wednesday evening. Storm surge and rain flooded some South Padre streets.

Bands of heavy rain inundated roads in the Mexican border city of Matamoros, a worrisome sign as Alex is expected to dump as much as 12 inches of rain in the region, with perhaps 20 inches in isolated areas.

South Padre Island is expected to receive about 1 foot of rain, with winds reaching 50 mph. The city is expecting 8-10 foot waves that may reach roads, but doesn't anticipate major flooding.

Central Texas firefighters prepared Wednesday to lend support to South Texas.

More than two dozen firefighters from Travis County and Williamson County gathered equipment and supplies and headed to San Antonio to join other emergency crews, awaiting deployment. The Central Texas convoy will help out in the aftermath of the hurricane.

"Our goal is to go down there and help the fire departments that already exist just handle some of the situations they might have post-storm," Steven Abbott said.

The Texas Interstate Fire Mutual Aid System is put to work when a federal state of emergency is declared for a state or area.

President Barack Obama issued an emergency declaration that allows Texas to pursue federal aid. If needed, the state could call the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate all disaster relief efforts and provide assistance.

Texas residents have been preparing for the storm for days, and Gov. Rick Perry said Texas is ready for Alex and its impact. Perry has declared a state of disaster for 19 counties in anticipation of the storm.

Alex is the first June Atlantic hurricane in 15 years.

LOCAL IMPACT:

Much of Central Texas remains under a Flash Flood Watch until Thursday evening.

Keep an eye on the radar for heavy rain bands to sweep generally our way from the southeast, from the coast, with potential for more heavy downpours Wednesday afternoon.

A Flash Flood Watch continues until this evening around Austin and the Hill Country. Winds from the northeast will pickup and range from 15-25 mph Wednesday night as the storm peaks, decreasing gradually through the day Thursday as more rain bands develop.

Stay connected with News 8 with storm reports, photos, and weather observations. You can Tweet us via @News8Austin with the hashtag #News8wx.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.