Wednesday, 11:01 a.m.
By Courtney Zubowski / 11 News
SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas -- It’s all downhill from here. Rain and wind have taken over South Padre Island as Hurricane Alex gets closer to making landfall. The next 24 to 48 hours are going to be rough.
Wednesday, 9:30 a.m.
By Brad Woodard / 11 News
SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas -- Crossing the Queen Isabella causeway onto South Padre Island Monday night, an uneasy, yet familiar feeling began to stir in the pit of my stomach. It’s a strange thing, really, driving into a place most people are preparing to flee. Landfall was still two days away, and projections showed that Alex could score a direct hit on the Island—much in the same way Hurricane Dolly made landfall here back in 2008. It was a deadly category one storm that caused over a billion dollars in damages. Anything was possible.
By Tuesday, it became clear Alex was tracking farther south in the direction of Mexico. Good news, but it still left South Padre on the dirty side of the storm. Tourists began checking out of hotels in droves Tuesday morning, many of them cutting vacations short. It was interesting to note that some had come here, only after abandoning plans to vacation in Mississippi or Alabama because of the catastrophic oil spill in the gulf. While high profile vehicles have been ordered off the Island, people have not. The mayor of South Padre says he will not order a mandatory evacuation. Island officials say they don’t expect Hurricane Alex to be a major event…just a bump in the road. Although largely deserted at the moment, South Padre is usually teaming with tourists this time of year. This weekend and the entire month of July are typically the busiest of the tourist season.
Major or not, by Wednesday morning it became clear an event was brewing. Winds were gusting at 40 to 50 mph and the outer bands of rain were making landfall. The situation is expected to only grow worse as the day progresses. Tropical force winds could extend 200 miles from the center of the storm, which could dump as much as 12 inches of rain on South Padre. That’s five times the normal amount of rain the Island sees in a month.
We are preparing to check out of our hotel this morning and move to another one that provides more protection against the wind for our satellite truck. Truck operator Sergio Soto is a hurricane veteran, definitely the kind of guy you want watching your back when the chips are down. He’s the McGuiver of TV news. Sergio was here for Hurricane Dolly, and he makes an interesting observation. When that storm hit, people didn’t seem too concerned about leaving. Apparently, they learned their lesson. The Island now seems for the most part deserted. Not sure what we’ll find today, but we’ll bring it to you on 11 News at 5, 6 & 10 pm….provided the weather doesn’t prevent us from getting a live shot out. If anyone can do it, Sergio can. Just learned the causeway is closing. Stay tuned.
Tuesday, 6:20 p.m.
By Courtney Zubowski / 11 News
SOUTH PADRE ISLAND -- The beach is now closed and the hotel where we’re staying on South Padre Island is a ghost town. You can hear the last few carts with luggage rolling down the hallways.
While many of the tourists are leaving, there are plenty of residents staying here. The mayor didn’t call for a mandatory evacuation -- just a voluntary one—so a lot of the people I’ve talked with over the last few hours who live here say they’re going to ride out the storm. The thought is it’s going to be rainmaker, but won’t do too much damage. Let’s hope they’re right.
Earlier today there were crews on the beach building six to seven-foot berms to stop the storm surge from getting into homes, hotels and businesses. Crews also went around the island tying down or picking up anything that might blow away during the storm.
What most are hoping here is that the storm passes, the tourists will return, and the 4th of July celebrations can go on as they had planned. One man told me he’s putting on a fireworks show rain or shine!
Tuesday, 11:10 a.m.
By Courtney Zubowski / 11 News
PADRE ISLAND, Texas -- To stay or to go? That’s the question tourists and homeowners are faced with on South Padre Island. As Alex gets closer to land, more and more people are getting on the Queen Isabella Causeway and heading out of town. That is the only way on or off the island. The emergency management coordinator told us this morning that if winds reach 39 mph they’re shutting it down.
