Liz Allen, an employee at Dillards, texted this photo to a friend at she was evacuated from La Palmera Shopping District . “Still waiting,” she wrote in frustration as traffic backed up around the shopping center and along S. Padre Island Drive at Staples.
La Palmera Shopping District reopened at 4:45 p.m. Friday, August 7, after being evacuated around 2:30 p.m. according to Corpus Christi Public Works Department.
Officials evacuated La Palmera Shopping District Friday afternoon when construction workers struck a water line and natural gas line in front of the food court. The public works department responded immediately to fix the problem while the fire department and police department began evacuating customers and employees as a precaution. No injuries were reported.
Evacuated shoppers parked in the vicinity of the broken line were not allowed to retrieve their cars.
Gas and water service is being restored at La Palmera as the line breaks are repaired, reported a La Palmera spokesperson.
“Mall employees are now being let back into their work locations through a designated entrance,” said Sarona Winfrey on behalf of the mall. “The public will be allowed into the mall at 6 p.m. when all entrances will be opened.”
Liz Allen was back at her post in Dillards by 5 p.m. getting ready for the next onslaught of customers.
"I had a customer trying to ring out as the mall was being evacuated," Allen told Corpus Christi Busines News. "Customers were still shopping."
The actual evacuation went well. No one was running, despite the strong smell of gas in the air.
"You could really smell it coming in the doors when they opened," Allen said.
Crowds at the shopping center were bigger than usual because of back-to-school shoppers taking advantage of tax free weekend, which began Friday.
Water and gas service is being restored to the mall in stages, so there may be service delays at food locations until all utilities are restored.
