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									Read Hurricane Bret Messages - Hurricane				            </title>
            <link>https://www.viexpo.com/hurricane/read-hurricane-bret-messages/</link>
            <description>Disaster Message Service Discussion Board</description>
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                        <link>https://www.viexpo.com/hurricane/read-hurricane-bret-messages/paged/2/#post-3003</link>
                        <pubDate>Tue, 24 Aug 1999 14:33:00 +0000</pubDate>
                        <description><![CDATA[Winter Texan with home in Raymondville Gulf Vue Park would appreciate any info on what is going on in Raymondville.  Thank you!]]></description>
                        <content:encoded><![CDATA[Winter Texan with home in Raymondville Gulf Vue Park would appreciate any info on what is going on in Raymondville.  Thank you!]]></content:encoded>
						                            <category domain="https://www.viexpo.com/hurricane/">Hurricane</category>                        <dc:creator>rbrink</dc:creator>
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                        <link>https://www.viexpo.com/hurricane/read-hurricane-bret-messages/paged/2/#post-3002</link>
                        <pubDate>Tue, 24 Aug 1999 13:35:00 +0000</pubDate>
                        <description><![CDATA[My name is Mikie Maldonado.  I am looking for Rosalinda Maldonado.  She is my mom.  I need to know if she is O.K.  She lives in San Benito and works in Harlingen.  Please find her.]]></description>
                        <content:encoded><![CDATA[My name is Mikie Maldonado.  I am looking for Rosalinda Maldonado.  She is my mom.  I need to know if she is O.K.  She lives in San Benito and works in Harlingen.  Please find her.]]></content:encoded>
						                            <category domain="https://www.viexpo.com/hurricane/">Hurricane</category>                        <dc:creator>mikiemaldonado</dc:creator>
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                        <title></title>
                        <link>https://www.viexpo.com/hurricane/read-hurricane-bret-messages/paged/2/#post-3001</link>
                        <pubDate>Mon, 23 Aug 1999 17:01:00 +0000</pubDate>
                        <description><![CDATA[Bret downgraded to tropical storm.  President Clinton has declared seven counties in South Texas disaster areas, available for federal funding.  Corpus Christi International Airport reopened...]]></description>
                        <content:encoded><![CDATA[Bret downgraded to tropical storm. <BR> <BR>President Clinton has declared seven counties in South Texas disaster areas, available for federal funding. <BR> <BR>Corpus Christi International Airport reopened at 11 a.m. Monday. <BR> <BR>"Y&#039;all come on home," Radio 1440 Keys in Corpus Christi is saying to callers. San Antonio radio (KTSA) is saying "stay put, don&#039;t return to Corpus Christi yet. <BR> <BR>Squalls on Highway 37. Bumper to bumper traffic going south on 37 towards Corpus Christi. <BR> <BR>Red Cross says there is still potential flooding in the Alice area (40 miles west of Corpus). National Weather Service says the flood drainage is good, however. Red Cross is asking people to stay put for a couple of days. Radio Keys saying come on home. <BR> <BR> <BR>Ferries are not operating yet. <BR> <BR>Corpus Christi trash collection operating. <BR> <BR>The causeway to South Padre Island is free of water, according to a caller to Radio Keys. <BR>Residents are not yet allowed over causeway. <BR>Cleanup crews began crossing at 10 a.m. <BR>No power there since 1 p.m. yesterday. CP&amp;L (Central Power and Light)says power should be restored by 3-5 p.m. Monday. <BR>1-888 218 3919 <BR> <BR>Naval Air Station Kingsville without power. Several power lines down, blocking roads. Some rain in Kingsville. <BR> <BR>NAS Corpus Christi open to military personnel. <BR> <BR>Few gas stations are open.  Gollihar and Evelyn Circle K is open. <BR> <BR>Weber at Gollihar Circle K open for gas. <BR>HEB supermarket at Everhart and Saratoga pumping gas. <BR> <BR>Exxon at Flour Bluff open for gas. <BR>(<A HREF="http://maps.yahoo.com/py/maps.py?Pyt=Tmap&amp;addr=&amp;csz=Flour%2BBluff%2C%2BTX&amp;Get%2BMap=Get%2BMap" TARGET="_top">http://maps.yahoo.com/py/maps.py?Pyt=Tmap&amp;addr=&amp;csz=Flour+Bluff%2C+TX&amp;Get+Map=Get+Map</A>) <BR> <BR>North Beach exit flooded, but there are other roads open. <BR> <BR>Texaco truckstop south of Robstown pumping gas. <BR>No gas stations in Kingsville and Bishop are open yet. (10:30 a.m.) <BR> <BR>Radio Keys Hurricane Watch is closing down transmission now (11 a.m. Monday) and will return at 2 p.m.]]></content:encoded>
						                            <category domain="https://www.viexpo.com/hurricane/">Hurricane</category>                        <dc:creator>frrichardgant</dc:creator>
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                        <link>https://www.viexpo.com/hurricane/read-hurricane-bret-messages/paged/2/#post-3000</link>
                        <pubDate>Mon, 23 Aug 1999 13:30:00 +0000</pubDate>
                        <description><![CDATA[Hi there,  I am in South Africa and my father lives in Friendswood, Texas - please could you advise me if there is any hurricane warning for this area?  Many thanks Allison Thomson]]></description>
                        <content:encoded><![CDATA[Hi there, <BR> <BR>I am in South Africa and my father lives in Friendswood, Texas - please could you advise me if there is any hurricane warning for this area? <BR> <BR>Many thanks <BR>Allison Thomson]]></content:encoded>
						                            <category domain="https://www.viexpo.com/hurricane/">Hurricane</category>                        <dc:creator>allisonthomson</dc:creator>
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                        <link>https://www.viexpo.com/hurricane/read-hurricane-bret-messages/paged/2/#post-2999</link>
                        <pubDate>Mon, 23 Aug 1999 13:26:00 +0000</pubDate>
                        <description><![CDATA[Gusty winds and rain all night.  Now at 7 a.m. in Corpus Christi, it is drizzly and somewhat gusty winds.  Sounds like it is dying....  Photos on my website: Fr. Richard Gant Corpus Christi]]></description>
                        <content:encoded><![CDATA[Gusty winds and rain all night.  Now at 7 a.m. in Corpus Christi, it is drizzly and somewhat gusty winds.  Sounds like it is dying.... <BR> <BR>Photos on my website: <A HREF="http://www.solt3.org" TARGET="_top">http://www.solt3.org</A> <BR> <BR>Fr. Richard Gant <BR>Corpus Christi]]></content:encoded>
						                            <category domain="https://www.viexpo.com/hurricane/">Hurricane</category>                        <dc:creator>frrichardgant</dc:creator>
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                        <link>https://www.viexpo.com/hurricane/read-hurricane-bret-messages/paged/2/#post-2998</link>
                        <pubDate>Mon, 23 Aug 1999 01:25:00 +0000</pubDate>
                        <description><![CDATA[My home is In Outdoor Resorts on Long Island just outside of Port Isabel and 2-1/2 miles from South Padre Island. I am presently in Canada.  Would appreciate any information concerning the d...]]></description>
                        <content:encoded><![CDATA[My home is In Outdoor Resorts on Long Island just outside of Port Isabel and 2-1/2 miles from South Padre Island. I am presently in Canada. <BR> <BR>Would appreciate any information concerning the damage in the area. <BR>Thanks <BR>Ken Brock]]></content:encoded>
						                            <category domain="https://www.viexpo.com/hurricane/">Hurricane</category>                        <dc:creator>kenbrock</dc:creator>
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                        <link>https://www.viexpo.com/hurricane/read-hurricane-bret-messages/paged/2/#post-2997</link>
                        <pubDate>Mon, 23 Aug 1999 01:05:00 +0000</pubDate>
                        <description><![CDATA[The following is posted courtesy of Reuters News Service.  It corroborates most of what I had said in my post earlier.  Fr. Richard Gant, Robstown, TX, where the light came back on after one...]]></description>
                        <content:encoded><![CDATA[The following is posted courtesy of Reuters News Service.  It corroborates most of what I had said in my post earlier.  Fr. Richard Gant, Robstown, TX, where the light came back on after one-half hour.  Winds are gusty, light drizzle at 7 p.m. CDT. <BR> <BR>By Andrew Kelly <BR> <BR> CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas, (Reuters) - Powerful <BR> Hurricane Bret, packing 140 mph winds and churning up <BR> 30-foot waves in the Gulf of Mexico, lashed the Texas <BR> coast Sunday, but may miss heavily populated areas, <BR> forecasters said. <BR> <BR> The compact storm veered west shuffling along 10 miles <BR> from the mainland, toward a region south of Corpus <BR> Christi that was mostly open ranching and oil country. <BR> <BR> "If there&#039;s a good place for a dangerous hurricane to go, that&#039;s it," said Bill Read, <BR> meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Houston. <BR> <BR> Hurricane force winds of 74 mph extending 35 miles from the center of the storm, were <BR> raking barrier islands just off the mainland as Bret moved closer to shore, forecasters said. <BR> <BR> Bret was the first category four storm to hit Texas since Hurricane Carla in 1961. That <BR> storm killed 46 people. A category five hurricane has winds of 156 mph or higher. <BR> <BR> The storm was expected to weaken when its eye struck the mainland, but the National <BR> Weather Service said it could bring a 15-foot storm surge and rains up to 15 inches . <BR> <BR> Even though Bret was turning away from Corpus Christi, the largest city in south Texas, <BR> officials warned that it could still produce major damage, prompting hundreds of thousands <BR> of people to flee from cities all along the coast. <BR> <BR> Police said Interstate 37, the main highway out of Corpus Christi, was jammed with traffic <BR> all the way to San Antonio, 150 miles northwest. <BR> <BR> "Hurricane Bret has the clear potential of producing a major disaster. It has the ingredients <BR> to threaten life and property in many ways," National Weather Service spokesman Jim <BR> Hoke told at a news conference in Washington. <BR> <BR> He compared the compact storm to deadly Hurricane Andrew, which killed 40 people and <BR> caused $26.5 billion in damage when it struck Florida and the states of the central Gulf of <BR> Mexico in 1992. <BR> <BR> "Like Andrew, it is a compact storm which means winds are being focused in a very small <BR> area, which makes this storm especially hazardous," Hoke said. "The very unfortunate thing <BR> about this storm in contrast to Andrew is that it&#039;s moving much slower -- and that has very <BR> important negative consequences for south Texas." <BR> <BR> Hoke said areas in the path of the storm were likely to experience hurricane-force winds <BR> for up to 12 hours. <BR> <BR> "High wind will uproot anything not well secured, including mobile homes, creating missiles <BR> out of debris," he said. <BR> <BR> Read said 1990 census figures showed that only 460 people lived in Kenedy County, <BR> where Bret was expected to make landfall. The area is home to the massive King and <BR> Kenedy ranches that date back to frontier days in Texas. <BR> <BR> Kenedy County Sheriff Rafael Cuellar said most people in the area had left the area ahead <BR> of the storm. <BR> <BR> "It&#039;s coming straight at us," he said from the county seat of Sarita, 45 miles (72 km) south <BR> of Corpus Christi. <BR> <BR> "We have a lot of people in shelters right now. Some left town, some boarded up their <BR> house and some people are stubborn and just don&#039;t want to get out of the way," he told <BR> Reuters.]]></content:encoded>
						                            <category domain="https://www.viexpo.com/hurricane/">Hurricane</category>                        <dc:creator>frrichardgant</dc:creator>
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                        <link>https://www.viexpo.com/hurricane/read-hurricane-bret-messages/paged/2/#post-2996</link>
                        <pubDate>Mon, 23 Aug 1999 00:39:00 +0000</pubDate>
                        <description><![CDATA[Hurricane Bret Operations Update  Washington August 22, 1999 - As Hurricane Bret approaches the Texas coast, FEMA is preparing to help state and local officials respond.  Situation:  * The N...]]></description>
                        <content:encoded><![CDATA[Hurricane Bret Operations Update <BR> <BR>Washington August 22, 1999 - As Hurricane Bret approaches the Texas coast, <BR>FEMA is preparing to help state and local officials respond. <BR> <BR>Situation: <BR> <BR>* The National Hurricane Center (NHC) has posted hurricane warnings from <BR>La Pesca, Mexico to Port O&#039;Connor, Texas. <BR> <BR>* The Texas coast in this area has a low elevation that could result in <BR>substantial storm surge flooding. <BR> <BR>* NHC forecasters also warn there is the possibility of the system <BR>producing isolated tornadoes over the mid-Texas coastal region this <BR>afternoon and the south Texas coastal region tonight. <BR> <BR>* Voluntary evacuations are underway in Corpus Christie (Nueces County), <BR>South Padre Island (Cameron County), San Patricio County, Willacy County, <BR>Galveston County, and the western side of Galveston Island. <BR> <BR>Operations: <BR>* The FEMA Headquarters Emergency Support Team has been activated and is <BR>operating 24 hours/day. <BR> <BR>* FEMA&#039;s Hurricane Liaison Team is already on scene and working at the <BR>National Hurricane Center. <BR> <BR>* The Mobile Emergency Response System (MERS) staff and equipment have <BR>been activated. The Denton MERS Emergency Operations Vehicle(EOV) <BR><A HREF="http://www.fema.gov/r-n-r/mers.htm" TARGET="_top">http://www.fema.gov/r-n-r/mers.htm</A> <BR>and Multi Radio Vehicle (MRV) <A HREF="http://www.fema.gov/r-n-r/mrvdex.htm" TARGET="_top">http://www.fema.gov/r-n-r/mrvdex.htm</A> <BR> <BR>* FEMA&#039;s Regional Operations Center in Denton, Texas (Region VI) has been <BR>activated and operating 24 hours/day. <BR> <BR>* The regional office in Denton has activated an advance Emergency <BR>Response Team and pre-positioned the team in Austin, Texas. <BR> <BR>* Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas has been designated ad the <BR>Mobilization Center for logistics support. <BR> <BR>* FEMA&#039;s Logistics Center is shipping the following commodities to the <BR>Fort Sam Houston Mobilization Center: <BR> -- 2,000 cots <BR> -- 4,000 blankets <BR> -- 1,000 tents <BR> -- 250 portable toilets <BR> -- 72,000 liters of water <BR> -- 2,464 rolls of plastic sheeting <BR> -- 100 electric generators (of various sizes) <BR> -- 6,000 personal wash kits <BR> -- 40,000 Meals Ready to Eat (MREs) <BR> <BR>* The U.S. Public Health Service has sent two Disaster Medical Assistance <BR>Teams (DMATs) to Fort Sam Houston - the  El Paso DMAT <BR><A HREF="http://rgfn.epcc.edu/users/dmat1/dmat.html" TARGET="_top">http://rgfn.epcc.edu/users/dmat1/dmat.html</A> and the other <BR>is the Albuquerque DMAT. <BR> <BR>* The Texas State Emergency <BR>Operations Center <A HREF="http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/dem/" TARGET="_top">http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/dem/</A> has been <BR>activated and is operating 24 hours/day. <BR> <BR>* Texas National Guard personnel have been activated and are <BR>pre-positioned in San Antonio. <BR> <BR>* The American Red Cross <A HREF="http://www.redcross.org" TARGET="_top">http://www.redcross.org</A> has <BR>shelters open in Hidalgo and Zapata Counties. Four shelters are also open <BR>in Brownsville. <BR> <BR>Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) <BR>Office of Public Affairs --- Washington, D.C. <BR> <BR>Information Available 24 hours a day . . . <BR> ... on the World Wide Web:  <A HREF="http://www.fema.gov" TARGET="_top">http://www.fema.gov</A> <BR> ... via fax-on-demand: phone in the U.S.A. (202) 646-FEMA (646-3362) <BR> ... via digital audio for broadcasters &amp; print: contact <A HREF="mailto:eipa@fema.gov">eipa@fema.gov</A> <BR>  and listen to the FEMA Radio Network on the FEMA Website using RealAudio]]></content:encoded>
						                            <category domain="https://www.viexpo.com/hurricane/">Hurricane</category>                        <dc:creator>robertjackson</dc:creator>
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                        <link>https://www.viexpo.com/hurricane/read-hurricane-bret-messages/paged/2/#post-2995</link>
                        <pubDate>Mon, 23 Aug 1999 00:24:00 +0000</pubDate>
                        <description><![CDATA[Our lights just went out in Robstown, Texas.  Father Gant]]></description>
                        <content:encoded><![CDATA[Our lights just went out in Robstown, Texas. <BR> <BR>Father Gant]]></content:encoded>
						                            <category domain="https://www.viexpo.com/hurricane/">Hurricane</category>                        <dc:creator>frrichardgant</dc:creator>
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                        <link>https://www.viexpo.com/hurricane/read-hurricane-bret-messages/paged/2/#post-2994</link>
                        <pubDate>Sun, 22 Aug 1999 23:54:00 +0000</pubDate>
                        <description><![CDATA[Thanks to Jeff Santolo for his information.  At 6 p.m. CDT, a little more rain here in Robstown, sometimes coming down in buckets, but now it is like it has been most of the day: somewhat gu...]]></description>
                        <content:encoded><![CDATA[Thanks to Jeff Santolo for his information. <BR> <BR>At 6 p.m. CDT, a little more rain here in Robstown, sometimes coming down in buckets, but <BR>now it is like it has been most of the day: somewhat gusty, overcast, light drizzle. <BR> <BR>Winds here in Corpus Christi: 21-31 m.p.h. Hurricane Bret winds <BR>have diminshed to 120 mph as the eye of the storm hits South <BR>Padre Island. <BR><A HREF="http://maps.yahoo.com/py/maps.py?Pyt=Tmap&amp;addr=&amp;csz=South%2BPadre%2BIsland%2C%2BTX&amp;Get%2BMap=Get%2BMap" TARGET="_top">http://maps.yahoo.com/py/maps.py?Pyt=Tmap&amp;addr=&amp;csz=South+Padre+Island%2C+TX&amp;Get+Map=Get+Map</A> <BR> <BR>The hurricane at 26.5 N and 97.6 W is moving WNW at 8 mph across Kenedy County, the least populated <BR>county in south Texas, 400 residents. The area includes the famous King Ranch which <BR>has 55,000 head of cattle. The eye is presently 65 miles north of Brownsville and 80 miles <BR>south of Corpus Christi. <BR> <BR>Father Richard Gant <BR>Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity (SOLT) <BR>http://www.solt3.org <BR>Corpus Christi, Texas]]></content:encoded>
						                            <category domain="https://www.viexpo.com/hurricane/">Hurricane</category>                        <dc:creator>frrichardgant</dc:creator>
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