Corpus Christi city leaders are getting everything together in preparation for a potential Tropical Storm headed to the Coastal Bend.
Starting Tuesday night, City Public Works crews will begin their 24-hour shift Storm Management Operations to be proactive for the storm.
Earlier Tuesday afternoon, they were out on Mary Street near South Alameda Street cleaning out the inlets and drains to prepare for the amount of rain Corpus Christi is expecting.
Public Works Assistant Director, Gabriel Hinojosa, said stormwater preparations is something they do year-round, not just when the city is expecting a storm.
"Actually, storm water is a year-round operation," Hinojosa said. "Just because it's not raining doesn't mean we're not out there maintaining our ditches, our inlets, our pipes. So we're maintaining the system year-round for events such something like this."
He said his crews will specifically monitor flood-prone areas like North Beach and downtown Corpus Christi.
"Leading up to it, you'll see what we call our vac trucks, and they're basically big vacuum trucks. We'll be inspecting inlets in known areas that we have issues on just to make sure there are no obstructions and if there are, we will fix them immediately," Hinojosa said.
The Corpus Christi Fire Department will also implement all hands on deck with their team. Assistant Fire Chief Kenneth Erben said the department will adjust their hazard profile to accommodate any emergency risks.
"We'll change our staffing, maybe rearrange our equipment where it's located throughout the city where we think it'll do the greatest good," Erben said."We typically have about six boats throughout the city, two more motorist boats that we will use for some flooding to get people to and from the dry land."
Nueces County Emergency Management offered several safety precautions to anyone who may be outside during the hazardous conditions:
- Do not drive around barricades.
- Drive slower than normal so you have time to react to other traffic on the road.
- Use headlights so you are visible to other drivers and pedestrians.
- Follow the rule — Turn Around, Don't Drown. If you encounter a flooded area, do not drive or walk across it.
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