CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — As the initial holiday begins after Hurricane Hanna, many tourists might be trying to access Bob Hall Pier.
"For all of us, it’s a big part of everybody’s life. Like Judge Canales says ya know, it’s a historic landmark," community leader Terry Samuels said.
Samuels has been fishing at Bob Hall since 1985. He says the popular pier is known by fisherman and families from all over.
The pier has been closed since it was damaged by Hurricane Hanna last month, destroying the T-head and area that surrounds the pier.
The Texas General Land Office brought in a disaster and debris management contractor to assess the damages throughout the pier and the parking area.
"Remove the concrete panels for them to inspect the cap and beam connections on the pier. So they can finish their inspection and then determine whether the pier is a rebuild or it’s a repair," Director of Coastal Parks Scott Cross said when asked what the county is currently waiting on at the moment.
Cross said the county requested an extra 30 days from the Texas Department of Emergency Management, to "get all of our damage assessment done and make sure it’s all accurate," he said.
Cross estimates the timeline for knowing the next step in the rebuild will come in the next two or three weeks and perhaps even sooner.
Since the parking lot was destroyed, debris removal has already begun. Tearing up the asphalt will occur on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, keeping the pier closed during a holiday weekend is a loss to the county.
"Losing that pier, like it is, is losing about $600,000 of revenue a year," Cross said.
Samuels said packed crowds surrounding Bob Hall Pier typically are seen by 10 a.m. on Labor Day weekend.
"It’s a big deal, it’s a big staple for this community as far as tourist money, because people come down here to go to it," Samuels said.
