September 14, 2008

Even though the Coastal Bend was spared by Ike, we did see some of the effects of the storm with dangerous waves and coastal flooding.  It might be mistaken for a scene out of Houston with several feet of water covering roadways right up to front door steps of homes, but it's actually Corpus Christi, 200 miles south of where Ike made landfall. Resident Greg Violett said he had to see it for himself, "when you get this kind of flooding you expect to see a big storm surge the waves and the wind, its calm here even for Corpus Christi."

At N. Shoreline and Coastal at Corpus Christi Beach, high water forced roads to be closed down as a result of a 3 to 4 foot storm surge.  Some trucks managed to plow through the water, others decided not to chance it.  Despite the high water keeping some visitors away, it was business as usual at the Texas State Aquarium. Over at the Corpus Christi Marina, police were forced to shut down roads, as all three t-heads were flooded out.  Ernest Ramos with Marina Security said, "the only people being allowed right now are just boat owners who want to come down stay in the center lane."

Passersby watched on and took pictures of the damage, while at the same time thinking about family and friends in Houston.  Corpus Christi Resident Kelle Clark said, "I feel really bad, we had a lot of folks in prayer, we'll continue to pray for those who didn't leave, but we are extremely thankful the damage we've gotten is minimal."