CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — After flooding on North Beach last week, roads are still filled with water.
Some local restaurants closed and are cleaning up this weekend so they can welcome customers again soon. Corpus Christi city officials said a new canal can help address drainage issues.
"When we have rain like we've experienced, then we also have flooding. So, this linear canal is to help alleviate with some of that flooding," Corpus Christi District 1 City Council Member Everett Roy said.
Roy said the city is 60% through the design phase of a future North Beach canal. He said an engineering firm was also hired to evaluate North Beach's elevation and give recommendations. He said that that process is also about 60% complete.
"One of the lowest elevation areas of South Texas and we're up against Mother Nature," Roy said.
Pier 99 Restaurant Assistant General Manager Joey Garza said flooding from last week's weather interrupted business while they are in the flow of Summer. While that created a challenge, he said restaurant staff stepped up so they can reopen as soon as Monday.
"Getting down here is the biggest issue, but it's not just closing. After we close, we have to have a cleanup, we have to have a crew come in here, we have to, you know, make sure these guys are still employed," Garza said.
Closing after flooding, Pier 99 lost eight of their coolers. He said the building is elevated, but flooding affects access to it. If a canal comes to North Beach, he said it would be a big help.
"Our downtime would be cut way, way shorter, and the impact of the storms would be dramatically smaller," Garza said.
Garza added that a North Beach canal might speed up how soon they can open their doors to customers again after a storm.
"We'll be able to come down here and start cleaning up faster, and businesses can recover quicker," Garza said.
Garza said he loved the idea of a North Beach canal when he first heard about it years ago. He said he still feels the same way, and that it could help bring more tourists to the area.