CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — With the high risk for flooding this week, leaders at the City of Corpus Christi are taking extra precaution to make sure things run smoothly as we prepare for Mother Nature.
Those who visit places like North Beach are all too familiar with how easy the area floods. City of Corpus Christi Assistant Director of Public Works Gabriel Hinojosa said North Beach is an area he and his team are keeping a close eye on.
"We're preparing for any lane closures we have to do down there," Hinojosa said.
He said that due to the increased chance of heavy rainfall, it will be an all-hands-on-deck situation for his department as they prepare.
"We are going to a 24-hour operation starting Tuesday night, so we expect the rain to start Tuesday night and go on into Thursday morning," Hinojosa said.
Corpus Christi City Manager Peter Zanoni said part of those precautions will also include the upcoming Juneteenth holiday.
"We will not only have staff on standby, but teammates that would have been off in observance of the holiday will be required to come into work, we've already made that determination," he said.
Pier 99 General Manager Doug Backer said that he is no stranger to flooding at North Beach. He said that while he is hoping for the best, his business could take a hit if the flooding is widespread.
"It's going to impacts us for several days," Backer said.
As a restaurant manager there are things he has to mentally prepare for when factoring in Mother Nature.
"It could shut us down five or six days easy with just a one day event," he said.
Dealing with flood-prone areas throughout the city is why Hinojosa said year-round maintenance is conducted to ensure storm water doesn't become backed up.
"We are cleaning gutters, cleaning inlets, maintaining ditches year-round," Hinojosa said.