There are days in our lives that effect us forever and even forty-seven years later, we are able to remember things about that day like it just happened yesterday.
Her name was Celia and she was the only hurricane to strike the United States in 1970! Hurricane Celia pounded the Corpus Christi area with sustained winds of 125 mph and gusts up to 175 mph on Aug. 3, 1970. Celia moved past the western tip of Cuba on her way into the center of the Gulf of Mexico as just a tropical depression. From there, Celia became a hurricane with sustained winds of 115 mph during the evening of Aug 1st. She was originally expected to hit Galveston and even lost wind strength over the next day with sustained winds dropping to 100 mph before she spiked again and then struck the Corpus Christi on Sunday, Aug. 3.
The National Weather Service reported gusts reaching 160 mph and she caused more than $450 million in damage (more than $7 Billion in today’s money). Hurricane Celia destroyed thousands of homes and businesses in Corpus Christi, Port Aransas, Aransas Pass, Portland, Ingleside and Rockport.
I was only in elementary school but what our citizens saw that day, and more importantly, what we saw the next several days following that day, made us aware of how important it is to be prepared during Hurricane Season. It wasn’t my family’s first catastrophic storm. My Grandparents and Great Grandparents survived Corpus Christi’s infamous storm of 1919 and my Mom and Dad had seen their share of storms as well so they knew what to do. Do You know what to do? Are you Ready?
Unlike thousands of folks in Corpus Christi, my family was fortunate that we only received minimal property damage. Yet like tens of thousands of other Corpus Christian’s we were without electricity for two weeks after the storm and I will never forget how hot and humid it was. If you think water boils are an inconvenience, you’ve got a lot to do to prepare yourself and your loved ones before our next big storm strikes!
Are you Ready? Now is the time to prepare and to know what precautions are necessary:
- Fill your Hurricane Kit.
- Plan your evacuation route and decide today what will trigger your plan into motion.
- Discuss your Plan with your family, friends and loved ones.
Don’t think it can happen to you? Check out this historic 1970 film of Corpus Christi taken the day after Hurricane Celia made landfall. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCZUCJMiZvA&feature=youtu.be
This film can’t duplicate the fear, the heat, nor the humidity that we felt nor can it duplicate the smells that we experienced from the thousands of tons of debris that Hurricane Celia left behind but you can see second hand the destruction that she left. It may help you better understand just how important preparedness is and how important it is that you have the right windstorm and flood insurance protection. Call Ed Cantu Insurance Agency today at 361 991-3575 for help before it’s too late!
Because we care,
Ed Cantu
p.s. check out www.edcantuinsurance.com for additional Hurricane Preparedness information including a special report from Hurricane Expert Dr. Steve Lyons!