Water and batteries have disappeared off the shelves of local groceries, including this H-E-B on Weber and Holly. Photo by Jane Kathleen Gregorio
Harvey is now officially a Category 1 hurricane and continuing to gain strength as it moves across the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
While the city of Corpus Christi is under voluntary evacuation, the situation is teetering on the edge of mandatory. Corpus Christi Mayor Joe McComb strongly encouraged residents to evacuate as soon as possible, especially those who live in low-lying areas such as North Beach, Flour Bluff and Oso Creek. He spoke at a news conference in City Hall at 1 p.m. The next news conference will be at 3 p.m. Friday unless another one is warranted sooner, he said.
A mandatory order would force closure of hospitals and nursing homes, meaning those residents would have to be transported to safer ground. Right now, anyone who wants to evacuate and needs transportation can go to any RTA bus stop. Buses will take passengers to Cabiniss Field, where they will be checked in and taken to San Antonio
Emergency shelters in both Corpus Christi for city residents and Robstown for Nueces County residents will be open and operating as of 3 p.m. today.
Mandatory evacuations have been issued for Port Aransas, Rockport, Portland and Aransas Pass.
• The FEMA Shelter at Del Mar Campus West, 4101 Old Brownsville Rd in Corpus Christi.
• The Richard M. Borchard Regional Fairgrounds, 1213 Terry Shamsie Blvd in Robstown
McComb strongly urged residents of the Island to leave because they will be cut off from the mainland without electricity or water.
“We are not going to risk our police and fire people to drag someone out of their house if they don’t want to go,” McComb said. “We could mandate evacuation, but people have to make a decision on their own. Please do not put our first responders at risk.”
City Manager Margie Rose gave the following update of services at the news conference:
• Friday garbage pickup has been suspended. Residents are asked to secure their trash cans.
• Sand bag distribution will close at 5 p.m. today or when supplies run out. Residents are asked to bring their own shovels to speed up the process. Sand and bags are free, but bring your own bags if possible.
• Municipal courts are closed as of Friday. All cases on the dockets for Friday will automatically be rescheduled. Defendants will be notified by mail.
