CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Some Coastal Bend residents find the summer season a bit scary due to the extreme weather this time of the year can bring.
Many homeowners have already experienced forced isolation due to flooding in the past and the 2024 hurricane season has just begun.
"I was literally flooded in for three days and even on the fourth day it was still wet out here and under a little bit of water," local resident Bill Woods said.
Even if someone decides to leave and come back after a storm, there's still a looming fear of not knowing what damages may be awaiting once you return. That's why preparing ahead is always the best way to give yourself some piece of mind.
"We raised the bulkhead here out and on the canal, plus the boat slip, 18 inches," Woods said.
Even if the tropics quiet down, dangerous summer temperatures can raise stress levels in many individuals, according to the Nueces Center for Mental Health and Intellectual Disabilities program supervisor Victor Valdez Jr.
"Heat in itself brings up anxiety levels, it makes people irritable at times," Valdez said. "So the best thing that we can do is try and find ways to help somebody get some relief."
According to the CDC, 22 percent of the Texas population reported symptoms of anxiety in April alone. Whether anxiety medication is needed for more serious cases that spike in the summer, or even just putting yourself on a cooling schedule, preparing makes all the difference when it comes to mental stability during this time of year.
"Always have at least two weeks maybe of medication on hand so that way if you do have to evacuate, you have all that you would need to hold off for a few day," Valdez said.
For mental health resources reach out to Nueces Center for Mental Health and Intellectual Disabilities at (361) 886-6970.