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Hurricane Hanna Makes Landfall, Bringing Waves, Winds, Worries To South Texas
A South Texas region exhausted by a months-long struggle with COVID-19, drought and economic distress now marshaled its resources to endure one more massive challenge: Hanna, the first Atlantic hurricane of 2020. The cyclone officially made two landfalls Saturday evening and spent the weekend tormenting the region with high winds, huge waves and widespread flooding.
The National Hurricane Center, or NHC, reported Saturday that Hanna’s centerpoint, or its eye, made a first landfall around 5 p.m. north of Port Mansfield once it reached Padre Island.
Aircraft sent into the storm measured maximum sustained winds of 90 mph. A weather station at Rincon del San Juan measured at least one gust of 74 mph.
At 6:15 p.m., Hanna made a second landfall in eastern Kenedy County once the eye reached mainland Texas.
Hanna’s sustained wind strength placed it in the lowest of five hurricane categories, as defined by the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.
The hurricane’s forecasted track projected the hurricane would now move through Deep South Texas and towards the U.S. Mexico border.
Forecasters on Saturday issued a hurricane warning from Port Mansfield to Port Aransas.
“A Hurricane Warning means that hurricane conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area, in this case within the next 12 hours,” the NHC explained. “Preparations to protect life and property should have already been completed.”
A tropical storm warning stretched from the Barra el Mezquital in Mexico to Port Mansfield, and from Port Aransas to Port O’Connor.
“A Tropical Storm Warning means that tropical storm conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area, in this case within the next 12 hours,” the NHC statement added.
Weather experts launched instruments attached to balloons to measure the hurricane as it swirled through the region.
Here’s a mesmerizing hour loop [4:21-5:31 PM] of Hurricane #Hanna making landfall at 5:00 PM #txwx #stxwx #HurricaneHanna pic.twitter.com/EqYFpbKIWf
— NWS Corpus Christi (@NWSCorpus) July 25, 2020
The Coastal Bend
The end of the landmark Bob Hall Pier near Corpus Christi collapsed as Hanna pounded the coast. Storm surge waters filled the Corpus Christi marina and reached city parks near beaches.
Radar indicated a possible tornado between Sinton and Refugio, but there were no immediate reports of damage.
Rockport police reported flood waters and debris on Fulton Beach Road.
Corpus Christi Mayor Joe McComb, who oversees a city of 325,000 people, told residents that if they moved to higher ground, they should take their COVID-19 masks with them.
“Everywhere you go, keep your mask on,” he said. “And if you’re in a home that is overly crowded because of conditions of everybody gathering to protect themselves from the storm, wear the mask in the house. I know that probably sounds kinda crazy, but keeping safe sounds pretty good.”
Hanna arrived in the midst of a major COVID-19 outbreak in Nueces County, near the end of a bittersweet summer that saw beaches and restaurants filled with people. The county now counts about 10,000 cases and about 125 deaths.
McComb pointed out one positive aspect of the situation: At least the storm arrived during daytime hours, when the hazards it brought with it, like flooding, could be easily detected.
Videos filmed in Corpus Christi and shared on social media showed gawkers in parks along Shoreline Boulevard or on the seawall lurching through strong winds, soaked from the steady rain or from the mist sheared off the large gray-white waves rolling in.
Other people took selfies of themselves enduring the stormy weather, with the violently choppy waters of Corpus Christi Bay serving as a backdrop for their drenched faces. Others stood smiling next to the statue of Tejano singer Selena Quintanilla.
Let me tell y’all, this wind does not feel good https://t.co/PsCUAUgcHk
— annierice_photo (@annierice_photo) July 25, 2020
Despite the worsening conditions, Nueces County Judge Barbara Canales also remained confident and positive. She said the COVID-19 outbreak prepared residents for hurricane survival.
“We all know how to stay at home now,” she said. “Well, this is Mother Nature’s stay at home order for all of us.”
Canales advised residents in flood prone communities in western and northern Nueces County to remain home through Sunday morning.
Five to ten inches of rain was possible for the Corpus Christi area and Deep South Texas, with isolated spots receiving up to 15 inches through Monday.
Hurricane Hanna’s journey to Texas. pic.twitter.com/O7Ih29zlO7
— Dakota Smith (@weatherdak) July 25, 2020
The Rio Grande Valley
Hurricane conditions were reported in South Padre Island in Cameron County, and structural damage was seen in Port Mansfield in Willacy County on Saturday afternoon.
In Hidalgo County, Judge Richard Cortez urged residents on Saturday to follow COVID-19 precautions ahead of Hanna’s landfall.
“If you must go to a community of group shelter,” he said, “remember to follow the latest guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for protecting yourself and your family from this COVID-19. Be prepared to take clean items with you.”
Cortez said in a Facebook Live video Saturday morning that residents should keep soap, hand sanitizer and face masks with them.
And then, hours later, Cortez declared a local state of disaster because of the “expected catastrophic flooding.” The declaration took effect immediately, the county said, and would last for at least one week.
“Maintain at least 6 feet between you and persons who are not part of your immediate family while at the shelter,” he said. “Avoid crowds… as much possible. This COVID-19, as you know, is very contagious.”
County Judge Richard F. Cortez has issued a proclamation declaring a local state of disaster due to the expected catastrophic flooding from Hurricane Hanna. The declaration will take effect immediately and will last for seven days, unless extended by Commissioners Court. pic.twitter.com/ZIvYWU0ExM
— Hidalgo County (@HidalgoCounty) July 25, 2020
County officials said they have help from the Red Cross for evacuations.
Hidalgo County has been a hotspot for the COVID-19 outbreak, with more than 14,000 cases reported. The county ranks sixth in the state with the most confirmed cases.
Dr. Ivan Melendez, a health official with Hidalgo County, admitted he was worried that Hanna could further exacerbate problems and put more stress on their health care system.
“This, of course, would create unimaginable tragedy if there was significant flooding, structural damages or loss of life,” he said.
Melendez said the only positive aspect of this experience with the hurricane is that it will require residents to shelter at home. That is key, he explained, to getting the outbreak under control.
In Laredo and Webb County, close to where forecasters expected Hanna to cross into Mexico, officials took a moment on Friday from fighting the COVID-19 outbreak to address the new challenge from Mother Nature.
“Not only do we have to worry about this, but we have to worry about a tropical depression that’s hit the Gulf, and we are in preparations for that,” said Ramiro Elizondo, Laredo’s interim fire chief and emergency manager, early on Friday.
Elizondo and other officials said they were concerned about flooding, and they would monitor the Rio Grande and floodplains throughout the county.
Flash Flood Warning including Willacy County, TX, Cameron County, TX, Kenedy County, TX until 8:30 PM CDT pic.twitter.com/NxFh2UkNnn
— NWS Brownsville (@NWSBrownsville) July 25, 2020
Laredo City Manager Robert Eads urged residents to hunker down at home to avoid straining the city’s resources.
“Just as important is … Hanna because it affects our community,” he said, “which affects our response rates as well. So when you have a huge surge in water that is just concerning at a lot of different levels.”
Webb County has reported about 4,700 COVID-19 cases and 90 deaths.
In Brownsville, officials offered sandbags to residents to protect their homes in low-lying areas from possible flooding. Officials in McAllen also handed out sandbags.
Gov. Greg Abbott reported that the state had resources on standby in anticipation of severe weather affecting the Coastal Bend, the upper Rio Grande Valley and the Texas Hill Country.
On Saturday, he issued a disaster declaration for 32 counties affected by Hanna, including Bexar County.
In Matamoros, Mexico, across the Rio Grande, about a thousand asylum seekers lived in tents at a migrant camp. Some have lived there for almost a year as they wait for their immigration court cases to unfold in U.S. immigration court.
A migrant at the camp who didn’t want his name used said they’re adding nylon to their tents to try to further protect themselves from the rain. He added that they’re going to elevate the tents nearest the river by putting them on top of wooden pallets.
He also said if things go bad they will hear a horn that will indicate that they need to leave the camp. An evacuation route has already been established.
San Antonio
The NHC explained on Saturday that “Hanna is expected to produce 6 to 12 inches of rain with isolated maximum totals of 18 inches through Sunday night in south Texas and into the Mexican states of Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, and northern Tamaulipas. This rain may result in life-threatening flash flooding, rapid rises on small streams, and isolated minor to moderate river flooding in south Texas. [Three] to 5 inches of rain is expected along the upper Texas and Louisiana coasts.”
As of Saturday afternoon, San Antonio region saw little benefit from the tropical weather. By then, most of the city saw only isolated showers and breezy sunny weather. But more rain was possible Saturday evening and Sunday.
The overall lack of rain has become all the more serious as water levels in the Edwards Aquifer continue to drop and water restrictions on area residents intensify.
5:05 PM – Good coverage of showers and storms moving into the I-35 corridor now. Rainfall accumulations should remain below 1/2”. Occasional lighting is possible with these storms. pic.twitter.com/mWOLZsJEK6
— NWS Austin/San Antonio (@NWSSanAntonio) July 25, 2020
San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg said on Friday that preparations were underway in the Alamo City to prepare shelters in case any evacuations of coastal communities took place.
On Saturday evening, the City of San Antonio announced that Freeman Coliseum was opened “as a reception center for Hurricane evacuees. Anyone who arrives there will be given information about hotels that have availability. Freeman is not serving as a shelter as this time.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Reynaldo Leaños Jr., Joey Palacios, Dominic Anthony, Fernando Ortiz Jr. and the Texas Newsroom’s Rebecca Fogel contributed to this report.
Brian Kirkpatrick can be reached at Brian@tpr.org and on Twitter at @TPRBrian.
Maria Mendez can be reached at Maria@tpr.org and on Twitter at @anxious_maria. She’s a corps member of Report For America.
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