Rockport, Texas Hurricane Harvey Injuries: Reports

At least 10 people were injured in Rockport, Texas as Hurricane Harvey thrashed through the small coastal community, according to ABC News.

The network wrote, “At least 10 people being treated for injuries in Rockport, Texas; multiple buildings damaged, city manager tells @ABC.” The wounded were taken to the local jail for treatment, reports said. At least one death was reported in Rockport, a man trapped in a burning house.

By August 26, the injury count increased to 12-14.

There were no reports of deaths. According to The Washington Post, “Multiple structures have been damaged or destroyed.” It was not yet clear which ones.

In nearby Corpus Christi, a homeowner shot an intruder allegedly trying to break into his home, police said.

However, The Weather Channel reported that more than 100 people were evacuated from a severely damaged Fairfield Inn.

According to KSAT-TV, “at least two people are trapped in collapsed buildings in Rockport after Hurricane Harvey made landfall Friday night, Rockport City Manager Kevin Carruth told the ABC affiliate in Corpus Christi.”

The television station added, “Carruth said the roof of a senior center collapsed injuring several inside the building. Rescuers were able to take the injured to a local jail that is being used as a medical center during the storm.”

According to ABC13, “Rockport City Manager Kevin Carruth said by telephone that he had heard reports of a tree falling into a mobile home and roofs collapsing on houses.” The television station reported that there was also severe damage at the courthouse.

It was not yet clear how the people were injured or how serious their injuries were. The amount of damage in Rockport was also not immediately clear after the hurricane made landfall on August 25 in the community because it was too dangerous for a clear assessment in the early morning hours of August 26.

Mark Collette, a reporter with the Houston Chronicle, wrote on Twitter on August 26: “Cargo trailer is halfway in Rockport courthouse bldg, 10 injuries brought in from various roof collapses in the city.”

There were reports that the Rockport High School had collapsed. Local news reporters confirmed with authorities that the high school had partially collapsed/sustained damage, although it was not completely destroyed or “gone” as some wrote on social media. It was not yet clear whether any of the people injured were there, but the high school was not the location of a hurricane shelter in Rockport, according to Austin television reporter Justin Puckett.

“Reports that the high school in Rockport is gone appear to have been inaccurate, according to the volunteer fire department in Rockport,” the Corpus Christi Caller-Times reported, quoting Gillian Cox, the department’s public information officer as saying, “A part of the roof has caved in, but the reports that buildings have disappeared don’t appear to be accurate.” In fact, the newspaper reports that officials have received other reports of destroyed buildings only to discover them standing. Officials said they wouldn’t know the true extent of damage in Rockport until Saturday morning, the newspaper reported, adding, “There are eyewitness accounts, however, of severe damage to other structures around the seaside town.

CBS News correspondent David Begnaud reported that a senior living complex in Rockport had its roof collapse. Although many people have evacuated the area, there are people who chose to stay behind. There are elderly people living in this complex who are trapped. According to Begnaud, emergency crews are unable to enter the building. It’s also not yet clear whether those people were among the 10 reported injured. There were later reports those people were rescued.

“It’s everything that you’re probably seeing. We’re right in the middle and have been since 7 p.m. Intense winds, strong rain. It’s gotten worse over the last hour,” Rockport Mayor Patrick Rios told Fox News of the severity of the storm in Rockport, adding that Rockport is expected to see this magnitude of rain and wind for 24 hours.