CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Port Aransas was devastated after Hurricane Harvey hit the coastal town in 2017.
Mayor Wendy Moore has called the city home her entire life and said she now feels her city should be able to better withstand another hurricane such as Harvey.
"I think that probably close to 80 percent of our community is probably new and up to current codes,” she said.
Rockport Public Works Director Mike Donoho said the same about his city.
"The rebuild that occurred after Hurricane Harvey made us more resilient, because we followed higher standards for buildings," he said. "So, hopefully we will be more resilient. I believe that our community will be more resilient.”
New hurricane building codes went into effect after the storm irreparably damaged many of both cities' homes and businesses, including the Port Aransas Police Department.
Moore said construction is about to begin on the new police station, which has been making do in portables for the last six years. The new building is estimated to cost around $10 million, with FEMA picking up most of the cost.
The city said it also is still waiting on the federal government to pay out its claims for its fire department and public-works facility that were each destroyed by the hurricane. Those projects are each expected to cost another $10 million each.
But the city of Port Aransas isn't alone in fighting for compensation following Hurricane Harvey. Aransas County entrepreneur Craig Griffen owns one of the area's most popular seafood restaurants, Charlotte Plummers, a gift store, and the Inn at Fulton Harbor, which was damaged in the storm.
Griffen said he's still waiting for the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association, better known locally as TWIA, to pay his claim.
"That’s been a long lesson on the hotel," he said. "I haven’t been paid yet. I have a lawsuit against TWIA and it’s been delayed and delayed and delayed. . . . It will be six years and nothing. Nothing but a lot of legal fees.”
The current hurricane season began June 1, and after experiencing a storm such as Hurricane Harvey, Rockport police chief Greg Stevens is getting ready now.
He's already bought a pallet of water, and said the best strategy is to be adaptable.
"You have to have a plan, but, you have to realize that flexibility and being able to make decisions on the fly is what is really necessary," he said.
The leaders of both communities feel that they are well prepared for a storm to produce winds such as Hurricane Harvey's, but are unsure how they will fare if the next hurricane produces floodwaters.
"Again, you may be prepared to deal with high winds and all of a sudden find yourself dealing with high water.”
Digital director Ana Tamez contributed to this story.
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