Again
June 2, 2011 (Thursday)
Have you ever listened to a horse race being described on the radio? The first words: “..and they’re off!” If the microphone is in the right place, you might even hear the gun sound as the gates open and the horses, with their jockeys, start their run around the track. Well, the gun has sounded, the hurricane season has begun, and “they’re off!” Eighteen named storms are predicted this year, and it’s forecast to be a busy season.
This part of the coast is populated by many people who have never seen a major hurricane up close, because it has been so very long since being hit by one. The records are there, however, for all to see. There have been storms here in Rockport, and, if the world keeps on turning, there will be more. And some of them will be severe. This is nothing to take lightly. We should all do whatever is necessary to prepare.
One of the great complications associated with hurricanes these days is the traffic associated with evacuation. When virtually everyone in an area takes to the road at the same time, the result is a Texas-size traffic jam. After the problems encountered on the highways during evacuation for Rita, the Houston area has developed a better plan that allows those in the most dangerous zones to evacuate first. The rest of the people are urged to stay put. I was living there during Ike’s visit and time ran out, so those in less vulnerable areas were finally told to “hunker down” (official language from the authorities). I don’t know what the general plans are for the Coastal Bend and the Rio Grande Valley, but I’m sure they exist.
The 1919 storm that hit Corpus Christi and Rockport, killing many people, came inland at Baffin Bay, with the fiercest parts of the storm being sent to areas north of the landfall. When I first came to Rockport in 1964 — 45 years after the 1919 storm — it was still the talk of the town, even though several very strong hurricanes had hit the area since 1919. I talked with many eyewitnesses and it had been a horrible experience for them. My family and I stayed here during Hurricane Celia in 1970, and, believe me, it was no fun. The wind from that storm is believed by some to have gusted to 200 mph between Rockport and Aransas Pass. Many buildings were destroyed, but loss of life was minimal. Forty-one years have passed since Celia, and, though there have been some big storms during that time, they managed to miss this area or hit it a glancing blow.
Here’s hoping we are missed again. But stay prepared.