ROCKPORT, Texas — The Aransas County Airport in Rockport, Texas, suffered millions of dollars worth of damage during Hurricane Harvey. After a year and a half of removing debris and making repairs, the progress is there for all to see.
There were 55 planes stored at the Aransas County Airport before Harvey hit. Only 29 survived the storm.
The other 26 were damaged beyond repair, and so were the hangars they were in. The airport lost nine hangars and have been left to operate with just two.
Airport Manager Mike Geer said if they want to start rebuilding the hangars, they will need to find new people to rent them out.
"That obviously is going to be a source of conern for us going forward, is how to replenish our hangar rent customers," Geer said. "There are only three sources of revenue here, and they make up about 30-percent."
Geer said right now they are looking at building four hangars for smaller planes and three for bigger ones.
For any customer worried about the stability of the new structures, Geer said there is no need.
"Insurance has to rebuild us to what code is, and code now is about 150 miles per hour, so everything that we have rebuilt will withstand a Hurricane Harvey," Geer said.
Geer said insurance is funding the majority of the rebuild. He estimated they suffered almost $8 million in damage. He said the earliest people can expect construction of hangars at the airport is this summer.