CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The Coastal Bend is already seeing impacts from Tropical Storm Francine, with this being the third storm that has produced coastal flooding in our area this hurricane season.
Director of Community Engagement Jace Tunnell at the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi said he hasn’t seen this kind of beach impact in years.
"The last time I saw this amount of beach loss was probably with Hurricane Hannah that came through and that's the one that took down Bob Hall Pier," he said.
Texas General Land Office Deputy of Coastal Resources Angela Sunley said that even with an active hurricane season, the Coastal Bend is still seeing average levels of erosion.
"We average around two-to-four feet of erosion a year along the Texas coast," she said. "We do have some areas that are hot spots. It can take five-to-ten years for those dunes to recover. We're pretty lucky in the middle coast area where there's plenty of sediment in the system."
Nueces County Coastal Parks Director Scott Cross said that Tropical Storm Alberto did a number on his division.
“We averaged around 30-to-35 feet of dune loss," Cross said. "It was higher than other areas, lower in other areas, but it averaged out to about that much dune face that we lost."
The City of Corpus Christi sent 3NEWS a statement regarding an assessment survey that could help pinpoint areas of our beach that need nourishment:
"The survey being presented at City Council has a narrower scope and is focused on the area from Fish Pass to Bob Hall Pier, to include the Seawall area, as recommended by the Conrad Blucher Institute. The shoreline survey will establish what the sand is doing and where it has moved post Tropical Storm Alberto. This will help the City create a plan to rebuild/renourish the beach, especially along the seawall, and consider the movement of sand under the new beach management permit.
The City will be doing a more comprehensive survey later in the year that will extend all Gulf beaches within the jurisdiction of the city, to include the Packery Channel."