South Padre Island prepares ahead of storm

SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas (ValleyCentral) — The rains and winds at South Padre Island have come and gone all day. However, that is not keeping the tourists and surfers away.

The streets and roads on SPI resemble a ghost town. It seems residents and tourists are paying attention to the warnings and city officials say the island is ready.

Some tourists like Izequiel Castillo were surprised by the weather. Castillo said this was his first visit to South Padre Island, but is no stranger to storms.

“We’re from Houston, and we are not scared of them," Castillo said. "We just move a little bit north and go to Austin or San Antonio and hang out for a couple of days so it passes, and then we go back.”

Those who were prepared for the storm were surfers. They claim the waves are better when tropical weather is around.

Michael Flannigan said he surfed late into the evening, taking advantage of the calm before the storm.

“The channel here breaking is a pretty rare event, so that’s why I came out here to get some waves," he said. “When the channel breaks it can be one of the best spots to surf in Texas, and they can get five to 10 feet high here in the channel.”

Many businesses were also seen preparing. City Councilwoman Lisa Graves owns a boat tour business and said she canceled all her reservations for Thursday.

She said all their boats and those of others nearby are tied up securely, so they don’t blow in the wind.

“As the tide moves up and down, the boat has to move with it and rather than snapping the lines," Graves said. "You want to make sure your boat goes up and down with the tide, so as you can see there are a lot of extra lines all along the dock just for precautionary measures and for the wind as well.”

The City of South Padre says it is 100% ready for the storm. Throughout the day, the City provided residents and businesses with sandbags to take care of their property.

Graves said many people took advantage of the sandbags and have been preparing well with emergency officials.

“Our police team, first responders, and beach patrol met with the National Weather Center early Monday morning to just debrief everybody and they have been sending out emails and the alert system is keeping residents informed, and they are very proactive," Graves said. "This isn’t their first rodeo.”

Graves added that the city is anticipating heavy rain, flooding in low-lying areas, and storm surges.