It’s September again
September 1, 2009 (Tuesday)
Today is the first of September, the month that seems to be favored by hurricanes headed for Texas. And, wouldn’t you know, there is an area of unsettled weather east of the Lesser Antilles that is expected to become a tropical system today or tomorrow.
Most everyone who has lived on or near the coast has memories of a storm or two through the years. No doubt at least one stands out in your mind. Here at Timbergrove in the Heights, everyone remembers Allison, which popped up suddenly June 4, 2001, and dumped more rain than most folks had ever seen (more than 40 inches). Our church here had about four feet of water in it, and this entire area of Houston was one big lake. Last year we stayed put and listened to the wind all night long when Ike came through September 12.
When I moved to Rockport in 1964, people were still talking about Hurricane Carla. It was a “doozy,” making itself felt all up and down the Texas coast. I lived in Dallas at the time, and when it came over Big D, Carla was still a tropical storm with an eye and 50 mph winds. The other storm the Rockport folks always remembered when storms were discussed was the 1919 storm, which killed a lot of people and did huge amounts of damage to Rockport and Corpus Christi. I talked with many eyewitnesses of that storm, and found out how high the water got and where the floods came. A lot was written about it, and most people were terrified. The night before it came ashore, there was a beautiful full moon over a peaceful, calm bay.
On August 3, 1970, Celia roared ashore between Corpus Christi and Rockport, blowing down houses, churches and businesses. Winds gusted as high as 200 mph between Rockport and Aransas Pass, piling up boats like matchsticks, but injured or killed very few people.
Hurricane season is always good for lively conversation. There’s never a dull moment unless you insist on it.