ROCKPORT, Texas – Just hours after Hurricane Harvey made landfall as a Category 4 storm, the aftermath of Harvey is still visible all across the city of Rockport, most notably at Rockport-Fulton High School.
During the landfall late Friday evening reports surfaced over social media that the high school was completely destroyed by the major storm’s wrath.
Daybreak revealed debris covering the school’s grounds and parking lot area.
Long pieces of metal wrapped around poles, large air conditioning units were either dangling from the side of the roof or lying on the ground.
Doors at the entrance of the school’s auditorium were smashed in with broken glass were scattered near entryway.
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However, the most damage comes from a nearly collapsed gymnasium with three of its four walls completely gone.
For Jose Placentia who went to high school there and has lived in Rockport most of his life, Hurricane Harvey’s damage is done and he’s looking forward to the rebuilding process.
“We stopped by the high school because we were hearing reports that the school was gone,” Placentia said.
“But we’re ready to go back to work because we do all the construction buildings around here and so we’re ready to put this town back together.”
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Placentia's twin brother Max, who also attended Rockport-Fulton High School, says it’s all about unity and lifting each neighbor up in a time when destruction can be seen for miles.
“This is devastating, this is my hometown … I wasn’t expecting it to be this bad,” Placentia said. “We can just come together and try to fix what we can fix together and make sure that all of our families are alright.”
The two Placentia brothers said when they heard about the hurricane intensifying in the Gulf of Mexico on a direct path their way, they and their families evacuated almost immediately.
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The eye of Hurricane Harvey made landfall almost directly on Rockport late Friday evening, bringing intense power.
At a press conference on Saturday afternoon, Rockport officials said that at least one person has been confirmed dead and 12 people sustained injuries.
The power of CAT 4 #HurricaneHarvey visible at the heavily damaged Rockport-Fulton HS. STORY @ksatnews ➡️ https://t.co/11Mj0ZsgQR #KSATnews pic.twitter.com/hkojDM5kt8
— Adrian Garcia (@adrianrolgarcia) August 27, 2017
Officials with Rockport-Fulton High School have not responded to KSAT.com’s calls, but Rockport Volunteer Fire Department spokeswoman Gillian Cox told the Corpus Christi Caller-Times early Saturday morning that the roof of the school has partially caved in.
As Tropical Storm Harvey slowly weakens on land, the National Hurricane Center says they are worried about potentially catastrophic rainfall that will continue for days, with more than 40 inches and flash flooding possible even well inland.
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