Port Aransas South Jetty (Port Aransas, Tex.), Vol. 42, No. 22, Ed. 1 Thursday, May 30, 2013 Page: 1 of 20
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Thursday, May 30, 2013
Vol. 42 No. 22
About appraisals
Port Aransas property
owners will have a
unique opportunity
to challenge their
property appraisals
Saturday, June 1.
More honors
Retired City Secretary
Esther Arzola was
honored again -- this
time by the county.
Island patriotism
Tens of thousands
of folks visited Port
Aransas during
the Memorial Day
weekend and
celebrated the holiday
by hitting the beach,
grilling burgers and
kicking up their heels
at night spots.
Inside pages
WWW.PORTASOUTHJETTY.COM
Ferry Wait Times
View the Ferry Line
View Beach and
Surf Conditions
Index
Sports
Baseball ..............11A
Classifieds
Real Estate.............5B-8B
Tornado
impacts
Winter
Texans
Dan Parker
Reporter
At least two Winter Texans
who visit Port Aransas each
year are Moore residents who
experienced some frightening
moments as the May 20 tor-
nado tore through their Okla-
homa town, killing 24 people.
Janell Hawkins said she had
been seeing weather warnings
on television for a few days
before the tornado actually
struck, so she and her hus-
band, Wayne, were ready to go
to their storm cellar before the
twister came.
They only had to stay inside
the shelter for five to 10 min-
utes before the storm passed
and they were able to get out.
But the noise they heard
during those few minutes was
terrifying.
“It was just a slow, grinding
roar, and because the earth was
vibrating, our storm cellar was
vibrating,” she said.
The Hawkinses’ house
wasn’t damaged, and neither
they nor their Moore relatives
were injured, though a grown
granddaughter “had to run for
her life,” Janell said.
“Thank goodness we have
that storm cellar,” Janell said.
“We just had it put in in Feb-
ruary. It was just a stroke of
American spirit
An unidentified serviceman attaches an American flag to the
branch of a splintered tree that stands amidst a sea of debris
left behind in a Moore, Okla., neighborhood after a tornado
churned through the town May 20. The tree stood next to
Courtesy photo by Cathy Cantrell
what once was the home of the family of Penny Phillips,
daughter of D.C. and Cathy Cantrell, Moore residents who
are longtime Winter Texan visitors to Port Aransas. Neither
the Cantrells nor their relaitves were hurt in the tornado.
luck. But I always had a feeling
(tornados) were getting closer
and closer to our house.”
A tornado that hit Moore in
1999 passed within about six
blocks of the Hawkins’ house.
The Hawkinses have been
visiting Port Aransas for 44
years and plan to drive down
again this winter, Janell said.
D.C. Cantrell watched from
his back porch as the tornado
passed within one mile of his
home.
“It was just swirling and
sounding like a great big old
vacuum cleaner or a train,”
Cantrell said. “It was black, it
had so much debris in it.”
Cantrell said he would have
taken cover in his master bed-
room’s closet if the tornado
had gotten too close, because
the space was reinforced with
extra-large lumber when it
was built, creating a sort of
safe room.
But he didn’t go in. The
tornado passed by without
getting close enough to dam-
‘TORNADO,5 Page 12A
Be prepared
Town hall meeting Wednesday
Local destruction
A house in the Private Marina house lies in shambles after
Hurricane Celia struck Port Aransas in 1970. This is one
of the photos that will be displayed when a new exhibit on
hurricanes opens at the Port Aransas Museum June 20. (See
page 1B for more on the exhibit.)
Dan Parker
Reporter
Rick Adams used to think
it wouldn’t be such a bad idea
to ride out a hurricane, should
one strike Port Aransas.
But he doesn’t feel that way
anymore. Not after marry-
ing Clare Mathews, part of
a pioneering Port Aransas
family. Her relatives told him
harrowing stories about the
times they endured hurri-
canes decades ago, during
the days before good weather
forecasting.
“Like the time men in one
house took axes and chopped
holes in the floor, hoping the
rising storm surge would flow
through instead of lifting the
house up and floating it away,”
Adams said.
Those kinds of stories
helped turn him against the
idea of staying in town during
a hurricane. Having children
also helped.
“Even if I was successful
(at riding out a hurricane),
is it worth the risk of not
being successful?” Adams
said. “What would my chil-
dren think if I died? Would
they think: ‘Wow, my dad
died because he’s macho?’
Or will they think: ‘He died
because he was stupid.’ ”
Today, Adams is employed
by the City of Port Aransas as
‘HURRICANE,’ Page 8A
Construction booms
across Port Aransas
Dan Parker
Reporter
Construction continues to
steam along in Port Aransas.
City records show that de-
velopment this year is moving
at a more brisk rate than last
year. And that’s saying a lot,
because last year was a big
year.
For some perspective:
In 2011, the city issued
13 commercial build-
ing permits for construc-
tion expected to have total
value of $4,909,546.67 and
78 residential ones worth
$18,040,779.79, for a com-
bined value of $22,950,326.46.
The following year, the city
issued two commercial per-
mits worth $746,020.00 and
114 residential ones worth
$29,763,109.49, for a com-
bined value of $30,509,129.49.
This year, as of May 23, the
city had issued three commer-
cial building permits worth
$2,517,000 and 46 residential
permits valued at a total of
$15,658,158, for a combined
value of $18,175,158.
Builder Nick Lorette of Port
Aransas said he is wrapping
up construction on 16 houses
now, including the Station
Street Cottages at Station
Street and Avenue D, and the
Beach Club lodges at Avenue
G and 11th Street.
Lorette also is involved in
Village Walk, a development
on 11th Street. He already has
finished building eight homes
there this year and is starting
another six.
Port Aransas is “a solid,
healthy market with willing 151111(1111^
sellers and willing buyers,”
OIAF-I- rnU I U BY LsAN rAHKER
Robert Howard carries lumber and Oscar Palacios packs up
an electric saw during construction of a house on Avenue C
near 11th Street on Friday, May 24.
mm
HP
Island Life Outdoors Calendars
Constable’s beat.............2B Fishing report...........4B Art Center....................6A
Police blotter................2B Tides................ 4B Island agenda................2A
Qe.iniqn Weather.........................4B Youth
Dave McNeely ...............3A Columnists School menus...............11A
p,AL Thomas...................3A Scott Burroughs...........2B £hurch
Mary Henkel Judson......3A Willis Webb 3B Directory.......................3B
Letters to the editor......3A Tony Amos....................,.7B Pastor’s Pen..................3B
Obituaries......................3B
• Clarence E. “Skip” Galloway SCM
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Judson, Mary Henkel. Port Aransas South Jetty (Port Aransas, Tex.), Vol. 42, No. 22, Ed. 1 Thursday, May 30, 2013, newspaper, May 30, 2013; Port Aransas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth505877/m1/1/: accessed June 22, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Ellis Memorial Library.