August 3, 2017 (Thursday)
I will never again be able to hear or see the date, “August 3,” without thinking, “Hurricane Celia in 1970.” It’s part of my brain now. On Sunday, August 2, the big hurricane warning flags were flying and on Monday, here she came, packing wind gusts that some say reached 200 miles per hour, near the location of the old “Carbon Black Plant” between Rockport and Aransas Pass.
A staff member of the Travis Baptist Church in Corpus Christi took his family as far as Zephyr Baptist Encampment on the west side of Lake Mathis and took refuge in the W.M.U. Building. When it seemed like it was about to be destroyed, he and all his took refuge in a closet. When they emerged after the worst had passed, only the closet remained. They considered themselves very fortunate. It was a major disaster, and one of the costliest storms Texas and the nation has ever had. Not exceedingly large in size, but very, very powerful.
Forty-seven years have passed since that fateful day. We have had some storms, but not a direct hit by a major hurricane. The history of hurricanes in Texas teaches the lesson, “sooner or later, your area will be hit and hit hard.” Forty-seven years must be some kind of record for not being directly hit by a major storm.
I was in Houston in September, 2008, and did not experience the worst part of Hurricane Ike, but each strong gust throughout the night seemed powerful enough to blow down the house I was in. Those winds and high tides virtually wiped out Port Bolivar on Galveston Bay. Few homes remained afterwards.
Keep in touch with all weather advisories. Be prepared to evacuate if asked to do so. Make wise decisions. Your life and the lives of your loved ones may very well hang in the balance.
