A breakdown of Hurricane Hanna damage reports, aftermath

While Hurricane Hanna’s landfall was many miles from Corpus Christi, the storm’s winds and surge were still strong enough to cause what will likely be in the millions of dollars in damage.

Depending on location, gusts reached as high as 70 mph, and the sea rose by several feet. 

It was enough to cause power outages for tens of thousands of people and take down a portion of the iconic Bob Hall Pier, one of the most popular features of Nueces County’s stretch of Padre Island Beach. 

Here’s what we know about storm damage in the Corpus Christi area:

Texas State Aquarium

Monday morning, a crew at the Texas State Aquarium continued cleanup of debris and mud brought in by storm surge from Corpus Christi Bay.

It was expected to reopen at 10 a.m. Tuesday, officials said.

All of the sea life and animals that call the aquarium home are safe after spending the storm with a rideout crew, said spokeswoman Jennifer Vela.

And because the storm surge was predicted to be three to five feet, it was not necessary to relocate them, said CEO Tom Schmid.

However, the rising waters brought onto the property a significant volume of debris.

Sunday, workers fully filled a dumpster similar to those used at construction sites with palm fronds, garbage and lumber, Schmid said.

‘We didn’t think it’d get this bad’: Corpus Christi responds to Hurricane Hanna damage

While the majority of restoration involves picking up the the grounds, there was some property damage – the aquarium lost a couple of their large shade sails, and a pier where a research vessel had been docked took significant damage and is now gone, Schmid said.

It’s thought damage will exceed $100,000, but less than $1 million, he said.

The aquarium has extensive emergency operations and staff.

But the rapid intensification of Hanna – and Harvey – has shown the importance of adjusting plans to that weather pattern, Schmid said.

“We really need to factor into our planning that if there’s a storm approaching – even if it’s 24 hours from making landfall — we have to anticipate that the strength of that storm, the size, the intensity could change dramatically in a short period of time,” Schmid said. “That’s just not something we saw five or 10 years ago or 15 years ago, but we are seeing now.”

Hurricane Hanna: Storm leaves 65,400 without power in South Texas

San Patricio County

The winds and surge Hanna threatened had minimal impact on San Patricio County, said County Judge David Krebs.

There weren’t any big problems with trees with the exception of some rural roads, he said, and while there was some flooding, no rescues were needed.

About 3 to 4 inches fell through much of the county, according to the local office of the National Weather Service.

The agency on Monday was sending out groups to survey storm surge in the Coastal Bend, as well as to investigate post-Hanna reports of tornados in areas that included San Patricio County.

Saturday night, meteorologists had issued warnings for radar-indicated storms in several areas, including George West, Mathis, Portland, Ingleside areas.

Krebs said he didn’t see evidence of a tornado in San Patricio County except a couple of houses in the Odem and Sinton area, where shingles were pulled off roofs and debris scattered.

The damage may have come from straight-line winds, he said.  

For a more comprehensive picture, Krebs expects to put out a call for residents to report property damage from Hanna.

 “As far as we’re concerned in San Patricio County, we really dodged a bullet and we’re really lucky,” he said

This is a developing story. Check back to Caller.com for updates.

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