CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Almost a week since Tropical Storm Alberto, the City of Corpus Christi rated itself on its preparedness for the anticipated active hurricane season.
The report card results were discussed at City Council on Tuesday.
Unexpectedly high tidal surge, which impacted most streets on North Beach, was cited by the CCFD Fire Chief Brandon Wade.
"The only surprise at what we really saw was maybe an increase in the tidal surge," Wade said. "However, we were prepared for what may have come and we had our assets, the other city departments had assets ready to go."
Council members such as Mike Pusley wanted to know if an evacuation would have eliminated the danger.
"At some point, I would like to see us discuss and talk about advising people who live on Padre Island -- people who live in low-lying areas, and people who live on North Beach, regardless of the size of these things as they're being predicted -- that evacuation may be the best policy for people who live there," Pusley said.
But with no loss of life, the fire chief and city Emergency Management Coordinator Jace Johnson feel we're ready.
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"We need to, as a community, just make sure that we're aware of the communications that's out there," Johnson said. "Whether it's with Reverse Alert, or if it's social media, or listening to the news, that we can connect with the community and keep them informed of what's going on with what the forecast and conditions are and what are the options they have to stay safe."
The city put together 14 crews made up of staff from different departments to help during the storm.
City manager Peter Zanoni said planning for this hurricane season is far from over.
"A lot of our key leadership positions, people in those positions have not weathered a hurricane with a city organization, so we're mindful," he said. "That's why we've already been meeting for weeks up to this event, making sure we have protocols understood, making sure we understand what to do."
City crews had picked up 158 tons of trash off beaches as of Sunday, and the work is not over yet.