KXAN's David Yeomans revisits Rockport as town rebuilds after Harvey

click to begin

Youtube

((MUSIC))DAVID YEOMANS, KXAN:
"THAT IS GOING TO MAKE THE
OCEAN RISE OVER MY HEAD. IT
MIGHT ALSO PRODUCE LITERALLY A
YEARS WORTH OF RAINFALL ON THE
TEXAS COAST IN THE NEXT TWO TO
THREE DAYS. THIS IS ONE OF THE
STURDIEST SHELTERS WE'VE GOT
IN TOWN. CHECK IT OUT, THEY
ARE LOWERING THE HURRICANE
SHUTTERS - LITERALLY BATTENING
DOWN THE HATCHES. 130 MILE AN
HOUR WINDS IS WHAT WE'RE
LISTENING TO. WE'VE SEEN
PIECES OF SHEET METAL
LITERALLY 20 FEET WIDE. YOU
MIGHT EVEN SEE SOME DEBRIS
FLYING BY HERE."JIM:NEARLY
NINE MONTHS AFTER KXAN
METEOROLOGIST DAVID YEOMANS
BRAVED HURRICANE HARVEY ON THE
TEXAS COAST...AND PEOPLE THERE
ARE STILL PICKING UP THE
PIECES LEFT AFTER THE STORM.
NOW, DAVID HAS TRAVELED BACK
TO ROCKPORT AND FOUND -- WHILE
SOME NEIGHBORHOODS ARE STILL
WORKING TO RECOVER -- THE TOWN
IS READY TO HOST SUMMER
VISITORS. "YOU CAN'T DESCRIBE
IT. IT'S LIKE. IT'S EVERYTHING
(EMOTIONAL). YOUR
EVERYTHING LIKE. IT'S
EVERYTHING (EMOTIONAL). YOUR
MEMORIES, EVERYTHING IS JUST
GONE. IT'S ALL WE OWNED, IT'S
ALL WE HAD. AND THERE'S STUFF
NOW YOU'LL NEVER GET BACK"
CAROL RUNYAN'S "STUFF"..
LOST..."THAT'S A CLOSE-UP OF
WHAT USED TO BE A GUEST
BEDROOM" BUT NOT AL, HER
HUSBAND, WHO STAYED BEHIND.."I
SAVED THE DOGS, BUT NOT THE
HOUSE""I WANTED TO LEAVE. HE
DID NOT. I HAD THE BRAINS TO
GET UP AND GO""I HAD TO STAY
HERE AND TAKE CARE OF THINGS"
"IT WAS TWO MORE DAYS BEFORE
WE GOT HIM OUT"THE STORM TOOK
MORE THAN JUST THEIR HOME...
"HE GOT AN INFECTION IN HIS
FOOT THAT TURNED SEPSIS""THEY
REVIVED HIM THREE TIMES" "THEY
AMPUTATED BELOW THE KNEE...
SO....(BREATHE)"NOW RECOVERING
IN A FEMA TRAILER UNTIL THEIR
NEW HOUSE IS READY.A LITTLE
STRONGER... "WE'RE MAKIN' NEW
MEMORIES NOW (LAUGHTER).. I'LL
NEVER FORGET THIS"AND A LITTLE
HIGHER BUT OTHERS AREN'T SO
FORTUNATE. "IF YOU'RE THE
INDIVIDUAL WAITING FOR THE
HELP, IT'S FRUSTRATING AND
IT'S SLOW."MIKE KOERNER HEADS
UP THE TEAM THAT'S GETTING THE
TEXAS COAST BACK ON ITS FEET.
"IT'S A LONG-TERM RECOVERY, SO
IT'S NOT A SPRINT, IT'S A
MARATHON. WE PREDICT THREE,
FIVE YEARS."BUILDINGS ARE
STILL DAMAGED, AND DUMPSTERS
STILL VISIBLE... "3.7 MILLION
CUBIC YARDS OF DEBRIS HAVE
BEEN REMOVED FROM THIS COUNTY"
BUT MIKE SAYS"...WE'VE
ACTUALLY BEEN RUNNING A LITTLE
BIT AHEAD OF THE CURVE"
PROGRESS CONTINUES WITH EACH
NEW DAY..."THE COAST IS THE
COAST. THE SUN'S OUT, THE
WATER'S THERE, THE BEACH IS
THERE" "WE'RE OPEN FOR
BUSINESS. COME ON DOWN, COME
FISHING, COME DO THE THINGS
YOU LIKE TO DO"BUT CAN
ROCKPORT ACCOMODATE THE SUMMER
CROWDS? "A LOT OF HOTELS ARE
STILL NOT OPEN, LIKE THE
FAIRFIELD INN WHERE WE RODE
OUT THE STORM IN ROCKPORT. BUT
IF YOU ARE THINKING ABOUT A
TRIP TO THE COAST THIS SUMMER,
THEY ARE BACK TO ABOUT 40% OF
HOTEL CAPACITY"AND IF YOU
PREFER A VACATION RENTAL OR
BED AND BREAKFAST, THE CITY
TELLS US 40% OF THOSE HAVE
REOPENED AS WELL. "WITHOUT
TOURISM, ROCKPORT CAN'T
MAKE IT"LOCAL INTERIOR
DESIGNER PEGGY GROWE IS USING
HER TALENTS TO HELP PUT THE
PIECES BACK TOGETHER FOR A FEW
SHOPS ON THE MAIN DRAG."THIS
BUILDING RIGHT HERE, THE WHOLE
ROOF CAME OFF. SO EVERYTHING
IN THIS STORE WAS FLOODED OUT.
AND SHE LOST... A LOT"BUT
TODAY, TWO-THIRDS OF
BUSINESSES ARE ALREADY BACK..
AND SHE SAYS WEEKENDS ARE
STARTING TO PICK UP AGAIN.
"YOU JUST CAN'T HELP BUT GO...
OKAY, WE CAN DO THIS, WE CAN
MAKE IT. AND WE'RE GOING TO""A
FELLA DOWN THE STREET.. UH
ROY.. HE SAYS, AND IT'S TRUE,
HE SAYS I USED TO HAVE
NEIGHBORS. NOW I'VE GOT
FRIENDS"FRIENDS... BRACING FOR
ANOTHER HURRICANE SEASON...
"IF THERE'S A WARNING, I WILL
DEFINITELY LEAVE. AND HE'LL
COME WITH ME IF I HAVE TO KNOCK
HIM OUT (LAUGHTER)" "WE'VE
BEEN THROUGH A LOT. AND I
THINK THERE'S A REASON. WE'RE
GOOD FOR EACH OTHER (ZOOM HAND
HOLD)"----"WE WANTED TO GIVE
YOU A BETTER LOOK AT WHY SOME
PARTS OF ROCKPORT SUSTAINED
SUCH WORSE DAMAGE THAN OTHER
SECTIONS OF TOWN. AS
INTENSIFYING HURRICANE HARVEY
APPROACHED THE COAST AND THEN
MADE LANDFALL RIGHT THERE LATE
AT NIGHT ON AUGUST 25TH, LET'S
TAKE A DEEPER LOOK INSIDE TO
THE POSITIONING OF THE STORM.
THIS CATEGORY-FOUR STORM WITH
130 MPH + WINDS WAS NORTH OF
PORT ARANSAS, BUT MOVING RIGHT
INTO THE ROCKPORT AREA.NOW THE
ARE WHERE WE SPOKE WITH CAROL
AND AL THAT SUSTAINED THE MOST
SEVERE DAMAGE OUT OF ANYWHERE
ON THE MID-TEXAS COAST WAS ON
THE BAY - COPANO BAY.AND THE
REASON THEY HAD IT THE WORST
OUT OF ANYONE... UNIMPEDED
WINDS FROM THAT HURRICANE'S
EYEWALL CAME RIGHT OFF OF THE
BAY FOR HOURS AND HOURS,
NOTHING TO PROTECT THEIR HOMES
FROM THAT KIND OF SEVERE
DAMAGE THAT WE SAW.AND ON THE
MIDDLE-TEXAS COAST AT LEAST,
HURRICANE HARVEY WAS A
WINDSTORM MORE THAN A FLOOD.
CHECK OUT OUT... WIND WAS
RESPONSIBLE FOR ABOUT 8 TIMES
MORE DAMAGE THAN WAS WATER.
BACK TO YOU...."JIM:JOIN DAVID
YEOMANS ON KXAN NEWS TODAY -
TOMORROW MORNING - FOR THE
OFFICIAL 2018 HURRICANE SEASON
FORECAST...AND FOR A NEW
UPDATE ON THE POTENTIAL
DEVELOPMENT WE'RE WATCHING NOW

Car enthusiasts say they got bad rap after Wells Branch bust 10 year old brings Austin police to tears with two simple words DPS: Travis County Tax Assessor employees involved in title scheme Governor holding roundtable discussions after Santa Fe shooting Extended interview with Matt McCall Person killed on I-35 at US 290 Monday morning AISD board president announces she's resigning from board Hurricane Harvey makes landfall in Rockport KXAN crews inside the eye of Hurricane Harvey in Rockport as it moves in Extended interview with Joseph Kopser

KXAN's David Yeomans revisits Rockport as town rebuilds after Harvey

Latest Posts