By Dan Parker
and Graysen Golter
That wasn’t a cold wave.
It was a cold tsunami.
The Arctic front that blew into Port Aransas several days ago slammed us with record cold and coated our streets with ice. Electrical, water and internet service went down throughout much if not all of the town.
Power out
School was cancelled, the JFK Causeway bridge and Harbor Bridge in Corpus Christi were closed and city authorities opened the Port Aransas Civic Center for shivering folks to grab a meal and a warm place to sit.
Winter Texans Jerry and Colleen Schwarzbauer of Mora, Minn., were among folks sipping hot drinks in the Civic Center. They said they’d lost power in their Lost Colony condominium.
“This is worse than Minnesota,” Colleen said, speaking of the frigid weather. “In Minnesota, we at least would have electricity.”
The Civic Center operation, which included help from the Food Pantry, Family Center IGA and Stripes convenience stores, served at least a few hundred people during the crisis.
It’s probably safe to say that the freeze stands as the most significant weather event to hit the Coastal Bend since Hurricane Harvey roared through in August 2017.
Temperatures plummeted to 21 degrees in Port Aransas during the early-morning hours of Monday, Feb. 15, according to Waylon Collins, senior meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Corpus Christi. People in town woke up that morning to find streets mottled with large patches of sleet.
Still more cold weather continued across South Texas on Tuesday and Wednesday.
AEP Texas reported more than 360,000 power outages in south and west Texas Monday morning.
Wednesday morning, some folks in Port Aransas had electricity, and others didn’t. It was hard to say for certain exactly what parts of town had it and didn’t have it, but it appeared that areas south of Avenue J tended to be without power.
Omar Lopez, AEP corporate communications manager, said he didn’t know exactly how many Port Aransas homes and businesses were without power.
Most, if not all, businesses closed their doors because they had no power. That included the IGA Family Center and convenience stores on Monday, but the Family Center later re-opened, and so did at least two Stripes stores.
When the Stripes store at Avenue G and Alister Street opened late Monday afternoon, a long line of vehicles formed at the gas pumps. The store closed after only a short time, then opened again at mid-day Tuesday, once again attracting a long line of gas-thirsty motorists.
ERCOT (Electric Reliability Council of Texas) on Monday asked that electric utilities remove power from their systems in order to smoothly restore power, according to a news release from AEP.
“The state of Texas has gone through all of the reserve that we have as far as electricity in the state,” Lopez said. “All utility companies in Texas are shedding loads so that … we can get to a point where we have enough reserves and safely power up the state again.”
On Wednesday morning, Port Aransas Mayor Charles Bujan said he had called state authorities repeatedly in efforts to bring electricity back to Port Aransas.
Work together
“I’m not getting a lot of answers out of the state of Texas right now,” Bujan said. “I have several calls in to the governor, but he is backed up. I’m trying to stay on top of it.”
Bujan urged that Port Aransans be as patient as possible.
“We don’t need anything right now besides cooperation and working together here,” he said.
At one point on Monday, the City of Port Aransas sent out a message asking residents to avoid turning on natural gas pool heaters and other high-consumption appliances until outdoor temperatures reached 40 degrees.
Water issues
Port Aransas also suffered from water supply problems in the midst of the big freeze.
Due to at least one water line break in Corpus Christi on Tuesday, the water main that leads from Corpus Christi down Mustang Island into Port Aransas had to be shut down, according to Nueces County Water Control and Improvement District No. 4, the agency that provides water and sewer service to Port Aransas.
Water pressure plummeted, and many homes stopped getting any water at all. When the Island Road main was shut off, that left just one main waterline still bringing fresh water to Port Aransas. That line, which runs under the Corpus Christi Ship Channel, brings water into town from San Patricio County.
Whatever water might possibly still be flowing would have to be boiled to make sure it is safe to drink. The water district released a statement that said the TCEQ (Texas Commission on Environmental Quality) required the water district to notify all customers to boil their water before consumption, which means activities including drinking, washing the face and tooth brushing.
The boil-water requirement was issued “due to low distribution pressure,” the statement said.
“Children, seniors and persons with weakened immune systems are particularly vulnerable to harmful bacteria, and all customers should follow these directions,” the water district reported.
Water district officials didn’t say when the restrictions might be lifted.
The water district on Wednesday, Feb. 17, began filling containers with non-potable water for customers, according to Ed Reed, one of the district’s directors.
Customers could bring any container up to 5 gallons in size to the ferry landing pumping station at 902 Port St. for employees to assist in filling. Employees were to be on site until 6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 17, and possibly on Thursday, Feb. 18, as well. The water must be boiled before being consumed.
Civic Center
The City of Port Aransas opened the Civic Center so folks could drop in and warm up in a 24-hour-a-day operation that included free meals. The food was provided by the Food Pantry, the Family Center IGA and Stripes Convenience stores.
Nueces County Emergency Management provided more than 800 “heater meals” to the Civic Center operation, according to Brent Chesney, commissioner of Nueces County Precinct 4, which includes Port Aransas.
Chesney said he requested the heater meals.
He added: “I have to tell you, (Port Aransas resident) Vanessa Brundrett was the one who reached out to me. She has been all over Port A, trying to help elderly people and home-bound people. I am just so glad I was actually able to help.”
Internet
Marc Oliveri, brand and experience director with the internet provider System Seven, said his company’s service was up and running in Port Aransas, but most who used the system wouldn’t be able to access the system because they had no power.
At Spectrum, an internet specialist said the company’s service in Port Aransas was down, and he didn’t know when it would return.
Port Aransas police said no major accidents or other emergencies had resulted from the freezing weather.
EMS, school
EMS officials reported that they’d responded to several incidents of people slipping on ice and falling, but no severe injuries had resulted.
Superintendent Sharon McKinney said Port Aransas schools will be closed for the rest of the week. Plans are to re-open on Monday, Feb. 22, if weather-related and water-related obstacles can be overcome.
Thanks South Jetty
I was staying at Executive Keys condos when the power went off. How was I to get information about heat in the Civic Center, the ferry and bridges status? My cell phone wouldn’t work either.
We are in San Antonio and if it hadn’t been for our portable, battery operated radio, we wouldn’t have known details around the state as well. Someone even made the suggestion to bring back boomboxes for this very reason. Just make sure to have plenty of batteries.
I was never aware of the civic center serving drinks, a warm place to sit. My husband is in remission of lung cancer. He laid in bed under a multitude of blankets.
Tuesday, Wednesday? I am saddened at the community/leaders.
2-18-21 at 9AM
Just was at IGA and no water really. ..a bit of quart size Ozarka remains. . .but still plenty of food, frozen and otherwise. . .still a supply of paper plates.
Speaking to people, there are many still without power. . .near Beach Road 1a. . . no power.
On the Internet, I checked Austin. . . and if the information was correct they are facing a temp of 17 tonite. . . tough times for another day at least.
We have no water. . . sure would be nice to know when that returns. . .still we have been lucky since 12:30 Tuesday power returned and heat came on. . . we were down to 40 degrees. .
Except for Water we seem to be at normal. . .
Still no power. However, bright lights are shining a Horace Caldwell pier. Conservation? Really angry
We had a planned trip to the island from Ohio, but I believe that it is warmer here.
Is the electric on at this time?
Power is being returned gradually, so while not everyone has power, the number with power is growing.
Is the water supply up in Port Aransas?
It sure is, and the boil notice has been lifted. To get updates, sign up for our free News Alerts at www.portasouthjetty.com.