- Tropical Storm Alberto caused damage to the bulkheads that held up structures like decks and homes on the Padre Island canals.
- One family evacuated their home on Thursday with concerns that the erosion would reach the structure of their home.
- City officials say that they are working with the Padre Isles Property Owners Association (PIPOA) to monitor the situation
When the Hamann family woke up at their home on Padre Island on Wednesday morning, they had no idea that Tropical Storm Alberto would lead them to evacuate their home on Thursday. Tropical Storm Alberto is the first tropical storm to hit the island since the canal system has been connected to the Packery Channel. The connection of these waterways caused the water to move at a much faster velocity during the storm than residents have ever witnessed before.
“It’s just nothing I’ve ever seen. The walls come down, the sand’s coming out. We’re worried our house is going to be a lot damaged," Damien Hamann said.
The Hamanns have only lived on the island for a few months, and Tropical Storm Alberto has them scared for the rest of hurricane season.
“Because this is just a tropical storm, if it's a full-fledged hurricane, then we’re afraid that something, we might not sleep anywhere else," Ashton Hamann said.
Longtime neighbors who live on the canals like Tom Howe, also say they have never seen anything like the fast-moving canal water during the storm.
“We’ve never seen this sort of current. It’s only happened since they opened up the Don Patricio Bridge. It was higher than this during Hurricane Harvey, but it did not have the current," Howe said.
In addition to the Hamann's the Edgecomb family who also lives along the canals had major damage to their backyard and deck as well. The fast-moving water was too forceful for the bulkheads that held up the structures.
“And just even, in a few hours, what it's gonna do to our backyard, our house, our pool, everything," Kristie Hamann said.
Tropical Storm Alberto is only the first storm of the 2024 hurricane season.
“If the water hasn’t gone down fully and another storm comes, how much more would that push water into our system and raise it? So, I think right now, that’s our biggest concern,' Howe said,
The City of Corpus Christi said in a press release, "City staff have met with the Padre Isles Property Owners Association (PIPOA) and homeowners of the damaged properties. The property owners and PIPOA are monitoring the situation and working on the best methods of combating bulkhead failures. The City is identifying public property that may have been damaged in the storms and will work to streamline permit issues and address damaged public infrastructure, if any."
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