CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – As Hurricane Harvey approaches the middle Texas coast, the rapid strengthening has resulted in a rush to protect properties and homes. That was especially the case in Corpus Christi and Port Aransas on Thursday.
Inside Home Depot near downtown Corpus Christi, the line to get plywood formed at 6 a.m., creating lines that only grew throughout the day.
The line snaked through almost the entire store.
“Still 70 people in front of me. The line went all the way to the back. Came to the side, went through two more aisles,” TJ Torres said.
New shipments were ordered to accommodate the need.
“Just grabbing some boards, some nails and some tarps,” James Flores said.
Flores waited for two hours. He blamed the long lines on the rapid strengthening of Hurricane Harvey.
“I woke up to the news saying that this was a serious threat. This is about 5 o’clock in the morning. I better get up and get started, man,” Flores said.
Popular hotels and restaurants along Corpus Christi Bay also spent the day preparing for Harvey’s potentially powerful winds.
In Rockport, mandatory evacuations are underway. There was a race to get out of town and fuel up vehicles. One gas station even ran out of unleaded gas. Workers said they hope to get a new shipment by Thursday night.
Downtown Rockport was a ghost town, with stores closed and windows boarded up. And while evacuations are mandatory in Aransas Pass, Port Aransas and Rockport, they are still voluntary in Corpus Christi, leaving many planning their next move.
