People that live in Port Aransas hunkered down under the 9 inches of rain they got today. The streets were open, but flooded. Water was up over the curb on most of them.
It feels like history repeating itself for many Port Aransas residents. They have spent nearly 10 months rebuilding after Hurricane Harvey. Now flood waters creeping into homes today will mean more repairs.
Mayor Charles Bujan tells KRIS 6 News this is is a setback for Harvey recovery.
Cars, people, even kayaks gingerly navigated through flood waters throughout the city.
"I literally waded in water that was tapping the bottom of my other pair of shorts," homeowner Karen Decker said.
Meanwhile, water crawled into their homes.
"I ended up with about 8 inches of water downstairs," Randy Burgess said.
Many of those homes, including Burgess’ house, had already been slammed by Hurricane Harvey ten months ago
"We’re still renovating from Hurricane Harvey, so we’ll just start letting the water recede, do what we have to do to clean up and start over," Burgess said.
All of the flood waters were made worse by vehicles speeding through them, creating wakes that send waves of water towards homes.
"They fly through here, the water just comes up, and it hits everything you know. I mean, these are our homes. We’ve already lost it one time, we can’t afford to lose it again," LeAnna Morgan said.
Police Chief Scott Burroughs advised people to stay home, or at least consider the city a "no wake zone" while driving.
He also said beaches should be used with caution. Heavy rain and high tide have created a dangerous surf and rip tides.
It’s still unclear what kind of a financial toll the flood damage will take, according to Mayor Bujan. That will be determined once the waters recede.
However, a city that’s already adopted the model "Port A Strong" is once again putting that into practice.
"Mother Nature’s going to come into your home every now and again, and nothing you can do about it. but you just try to plan for the best, and recover as best you can, and live your life," Burgess said.
The flooding also caused the Port Aransas ISD to cancel summer school today. The schools did not receive any significant damage. Superintendent Sharon McKinney expects classes to resume tomorrow, as long as roads roads are clear.
