CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — On Tuesday, Robstown residents were lined up for free sandbags to put around their home in advance of the storm that is supposed to impact our area. Many here have been through a number of floods over the years and know how important the sandbags really are during a big rain event.
The residents could pick up the bags of sand at the Nueces County Drainage District 2 Office on East Avenue A. Each car received four sandbags.
"The last times we had the heavy rains, what two or three years ago, our house flooded twice. Both times, and four sandbags aren’t going to do it but we get what we can," resident Lolly Zamore said.
"I think this is going to be really helpful cause a lot of people are going to get water in their houses and this is going to prevent that from happening." resident Jessica Hernandez said.
Trucks of sand were hauled in which had been donated by Ram-Bro Contracting.
"We're hoping that it helps the community out and prevents flooding," Ricardo Ramon Jr. with Ram-Bro Contractors said.
"I’m very excited with the community joining together with a partnership with the drainage, utilities and the private entities Ram-Bro’s." Mayor Petey Martinez said.
That sand brought in was all placed into a contraption that pushed the sand down a mini-conveyor belt and into a bag a worker would fill up with the sand. Then, others would hand everything out to anxious residents.
Police Chief Mike Tamez and his officers were also taking part in this community effort to prepare for the possibility of flooding. They were going out to deliver sandbags to those people who were homebound for one reason or another.
"I’m very grateful and happy that somebody can help us," resident Guadalupe Betancourt said.
Chief Tamez headed to another home after resident Leeann Mungia responded on Facebook to the offer to have sandbags delivered. Mungia told 3NEWS that she really needed the sandbags because she didn't want her home to flood.
"This place usually gets really flooded in the front and the back too," she said. "All the water is going to come into my back door, so I wanted to be safe you know.”