CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — With all eyes on the Gulf of Mexico for potentially the first development of hurricane season, it's a good time to start preparing. If you aren't already prepared.
The City of Corpus Christi with partner agencies put on their annual hurricane evacuation exercise on Friday.
“I love it. I really do because it’s very needed, especially with the homeless, it’s needed,” said Mary Slusher, a volunteer at the exercise.
Because of Slusher's job with the Coastal Bend Center for Independent Living, she thought it beneficial to learn how the process works.
“We work with those that are homeless. So, we want to be prepared as well, to be able to tell them what to do and where to go,” she said.
“We’ve been doing this for 14 years. We’re just making sure that we’re prepared as we go into hurricane season, to make sure we help the folks of Corpus Christi evacuate if the need arises,” Jace Johnson, Emergency Management Coordinator of Corpus Christi.
If you remember from the KRIS 6 Hurricane Special, if there’s an evacuation, RTA buses will give free rides to bring people to one side of the Corpus Christi Gym on Cabaniss Parkway. They’ll be registered and briefed, then put on a Corpus Christi Independent School District bus on the other side.
Volunteers from the community are taking part in the exercise to get familiar with the process, but it’s just as important for city staff and others involved to practice.
“It’s really important in an event like this that we all pull together because there’s lots of rolls and responsibilities that are necessary to fill to make sure that this happens.”
No registration beforehand is needed, but if you are someone who needs assistance during emergencies you’re encouraged to register with the State of Texas Emergency Assistance Registry.
“They can bring their pets. We say if you’re going to bring pets, dogs on a leash, cats in a crate. You can bring, just like you’re going to travel on board with a small luggage and personal items,” Johnson said.
These agencies assisted in the exercise:
Texas Division of Emergency Management
Corpus Christi Regional Transit Authority
Corpus Christi Independent School District
American Red Cross
211 Texas
Functional Needs Support Team
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