As another storm plans to make its way toward the Gulf Coast, people on North Beach started preparing their businesses and homes on Friday for what’s to come with the weather.
When Tropical Storm Alberto hit just two weeks ago, many people were left underwater and stuck inside their homes with nowhere to go. There were many evacuations to help those impacted by not only the American Red Cross but also the Texas A&M Task Force.
Now, people are getting things in order so they are prepared in advance for the upcoming week.
"We had to shut down for two and a half days with the last storm. We got about three inches of water throughout the whole restaurant," Pete Feydo, General Manager of Blackbeards, said.
Feydo said the restaurant also lost power during TS Alberto. On Friday morning, he and his team were preparing to get sandbags delivered.
“We’ve got 20, 60-pound bags of sand coming, which should give me 40 more sandbags that we are going to put out, utilize out front here," Feydo said. "As a precautionary, were just going to run our food down so we don't waste it, anticipating that more than likely we’re have to shut down.”
Luckily, Blackbeards sits higher into North Beach, away from the waterfront. However, other restaurants, like Pier 99, were completely flooded and had to shut down during TS Alberto.
“We’re going to get the storm surge, we know, coming off the bay," Doug Backer, General Manager of Pier 99, said. "We’re also going to get the flooding. This end of North Beach is notorious for flooding. We were closed for five days last time.”
On Friday, workers filled sandbags and added silk fences to prevent flooding at the local business. To be proactive, the staff at Pier 99 are already thinking about closing their doors early over the weekend.
“We’re going to take a lot more of our equipment upstairs. Our dining room is a lot higher than the rest of the area," Backer said. "We’re going to take a lot more stuff up there this time. We’re going to rearrange the dining area and stack booths. We’re actually probably going to shut down on Sunday. We’re expecting higher water.”
Those who live on North Beach said there isn’t much you can do when storms hit like this. Many people were stuck inside their homes without access to main roads just two weeks ago. They tell me their plan now is to hunker down again and hope for the best.
“I can’t really prepare too much. I mean, I’m going to try to lift my refrigerator up three feet. It’s not much you do. You just get your important stuff up, your papers, pictures and photos, you get them up off there. It’s mother nature, you beat mother nature, and it’s only stuff," resident Robert Catalano said.
Other people who live on North Beach also mentioned that they've made plans to visit and stay with family elsewhere, so they are safe until the storm passes over.
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