Residents of the Texas Coast are hunkering down tonight as they await the landfall of Hurricane Harvey. With winds already at Hurricane strength, the forecast is expected to get worse along the coast before it gets better.
With mandatory and voluntary evacuations currently underway all along the coast, some residents are chosing to stay behind and ride out what could be a category 3 storm before it finally makes landfall sometime Friday night or on Saturday.
Those who have chosen to stay behind may have a rough couple of days ahead of them. But some who have chosen to stay and ride out the storm have been down this road before. For others, this is the first hurricane that they can remember.
The last major hurricane to hit Corpus Christi, Texas was hurricane Celia in 1970 and although several tropical storms have hit the "sparkling city by the sea" since Celia, many folks who were born after Celia or who may have moved to the coast since, may find themselves ill prepared to ride out a storm.
Lifelong Corpus Christi area resident Steve Sullivan says "hunker down", when asked what advice he would give to folks chosing to ride Harvey out.
"Alcohol and storms don't mix", Sullivan says.
Some local grocers are staying open until further notice on Friday which would allow for those staying behind to get items such as water, bread, and non perishable food--as long as it lasts.
Flashlights, batteries and a working weather radio will be vital for those riding out Harvey this weekend. And should folks need assistance during the storm, emergency responders stand ready until conditions get too bad. At which point, folks who stayed behind will just have to truly ride it out until help can reach them after it is safe again.
As Eric Handel said to folks who are debating on staying "when in doubt, get the hell out." Advice that could save your life.
