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 gusty, overcast, light drizzle.

Winds here in Corpus Christi: 21-31 m.p.h. Hurricane Bret winds
have diminshed to 120 mph as the eye of the storm hits South
Padre Island.
http://maps.yahoo.com/py/maps.py?Pyt=Tmap&addr=&csz=South+Padre+Island%2C+TX&Get+Map=Get+Map

The hurricane at 26.5 N and 97.6 W is moving WNW at 8 mph across Kenedy County, the least populated
county in south Texas, 400 residents. The area includes the famous King Ranch which
has 55,000 head of cattle. The eye is presently 65 miles north of Brownsville and 80 miles
south of Corpus Christi.

Father Richard Gant
Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity (SOLT)
http://www.solt3.org
Corpus Christi, Texas

Our lights just went out in Robstown, Texas.

Father Gant

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 National Hurricane Center (NHC) has posted hurricane warnings from
La Pesca, Mexico to Port O'Connor, Texas.

* The Texas coast in this area has a low elevation that could result in
substantial storm surge flooding.

* NHC forecasters also warn there is the possibility of the system
producing isolated tornadoes over the mid-Texas coastal region this
afternoon and the south Texas coastal region tonight.

* Voluntary evacuations are underway in Corpus Christie (Nueces County),
South Padre Island (Cameron County), San Patricio County, Willacy County,
Galveston County, and the western side of Galveston Island.

Operations:
* The FEMA Headquarters Emergency Support Team has been activated and is
operating 24 hours/day.

* FEMA's Hurricane Liaison Team is already on scene and working at the
National Hurricane Center.

* The Mobile Emergency Response System (MERS) staff and equipment have
been activated. The Denton MERS Emergency Operations Vehicle(EOV)
http://www.fema.gov/r-n-r/mers.htm
and Multi Radio Vehicle (MRV) http://www.fema.gov/r-n-r/mrvdex.htm

* FEMA's Regional Operations Center in Denton, Texas (Region VI) has been
activated and operating 24 hours/day.

* The regional office in Denton has activated an advance Emergency
Response Team and pre-positioned the team in Austin, Texas.

* Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas has been designated ad the
Mobilization Center for logistics support.

* FEMA's Logistics Center is shipping the following commodities to the
Fort Sam Houston Mobilization Center:
-- 2,000 cots
-- 4,000 blankets
-- 1,000 tents
-- 250 portable toilets
-- 72,000 liters of water
-- 2,464 rolls of plastic sheeting
-- 100 electric generators (of various sizes)
-- 6,000 personal wash kits
-- 40,000 Meals Ready to Eat (MREs)

* The U.S. Public Health Service has sent two Disaster Medical Assistance
Teams (DMATs) to Fort Sam Houston - the El Paso DMAT
http://rgfn.epcc.edu/users/dmat1/dmat.html and the other
is the Albuquerque DMAT.

* The Texas State Emergency
Operations Center http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/dem/ has been
activated and is operating 24 hours/day.

* Texas National Guard personnel have been activated and are
pre-positioned in San Antonio.

* The American Red Cross http://www.redcross.org has
shelters open in Hidalgo and Zapata Counties. Four shelters are also open
in Brownsville.

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
Office of Public Affairs --- Washington, D.C.

Information Available 24 hours a day . . .
... on the World Wide Web: http://www.fema.gov
... via fax-on-demand: phone in the U.S.A. (202) 646-FEMA (646-3362)
... via digital audio for broadcasters & print: contact @fema.gov">eipa@fema.gov
and listen to the FEMA Radio Network on the FEMA Website using RealAudio

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.

By Andrew Kelly

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas, (Reuters) - Powerful
Hurricane Bret, packing 140 mph winds and churning up
30-foot waves in the Gulf of Mexico, lashed the Texas
coast Sunday, but may miss heavily populated areas,
forecasters said.

The compact storm veered west shuffling along 10 miles
from the mainland, toward a region south of Corpus
Christi that was mostly open ranching and oil country.

"If there's a good place for a dangerous hurricane to go, that's it," said Bill Read,
meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Houston.

Hurricane force winds of 74 mph extending 35 miles from the center of the storm, were
raking barrier islands just off the mainland as Bret moved closer to shore, forecasters said.

Bret was the first category four storm to hit Texas since Hurricane Carla in 1961. That
storm killed 46 people. A category five hurricane has winds of 156 mph or higher.

The storm was expected to weaken when its eye struck the mainland, but the National
Weather Service said it could bring a 15-foot storm surge and rains up to 15 inches .

Even though Bret was turning away from Corpus Christi, the largest city in south Texas,
officials warned that it could still produce major damage, prompting hundreds of thousands
of people to flee from cities all along the coast.

Police said Interstate 37, the main highway out of Corpus Christi, was jammed with traffic
all the way to San Antonio, 150 miles northwest.

"Hurricane Bret has the clear potential of producing a major disaster. It has the ingredients
to threaten life and property in many ways," National Weather Service spokesman Jim
Hoke told at a news conference in Washington.

He compared the compact storm to deadly Hurricane Andrew, which killed 40 people and
caused $26.5 billion in damage when it struck Florida and the states of the central Gulf of
Mexico in 1992.

"Like Andrew, it is a compact storm which means winds are being focused in a very small
area, which makes this storm especially hazardous," Hoke said. "The very unfortunate thing
about this storm in contrast to Andrew is that it's moving much slower -- and that has very
important negative consequences for south Texas."

Hoke said areas in the path of the storm were likely to experience hurricane-force winds
for up to 12 hours.

"High wind will uproot anything not well secured, including mobile homes, creating missiles
out of debris," he said.

Read said 1990 census figures showed that only 460 people lived in Kenedy County,
where Bret was expected to make landfall. The area is home to the massive King and
Kenedy ranches that date back to frontier days in Texas.

Kenedy County Sheriff Rafael Cuellar said most people in the area had left the area ahead
of the storm.

"It's coming straight at us," he said from the county seat of Sarita, 45 miles (72 km) south
of Corpus Christi.

"We have a lot of people in shelters right now. Some left town, some boarded up their
house and some people are stubborn and just don't want to get out of the way," he told
Reuters.

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 damage in the area.
Thanks
Ken Brock

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: http://www.solt3.org

Fr. Richard Gant
Corpus Christi

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

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 at 11 a.m. Monday.

"Y'all come on home," Radio 1440 Keys in Corpus Christi is saying to callers. San Antonio radio (KTSA) is saying "stay put, don't return to Corpus Christi yet.

Squalls on Highway 37. Bumper to bumper traffic going south on 37 towards Corpus Christi.

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.


Ferries are not operating yet.

Corpus Christi trash collection operating.

The causeway to South Padre Island is free of water, according to a caller to Radio Keys.
Residents are not yet allowed over causeway.
Cleanup crews began crossing at 10 a.m.
No power there since 1 p.m. yesterday. CP&L (Central Power and Light)says power should be restored by 3-5 p.m. Monday.
1-888 218 3919

Naval Air Station Kingsville without power. Several power lines down, blocking roads. Some rain in Kingsville.

NAS Corpus Christi open to military personnel.

Few gas stations are open. Gollihar and Evelyn Circle K is open.

Weber at Gollihar Circle K open for gas.
HEB supermarket at Everhart and Saratoga pumping gas.

Exxon at Flour Bluff open for gas.
( http://maps.yahoo.com/py/maps.py?Pyt=Tmap&addr=&csz=Flour+Bluff%2C+TX&Get+Map=Get+Map )

North Beach exit flooded, but there are other roads open.

Texaco truckstop south of Robstown pumping gas.
No gas stations in Kingsville and Bishop are open yet. (10:30 a.m.)

Radio Keys Hurricane Watch is closing down transmission now (11 a.m. Monday) and will return at 2 p.m.

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.

Winter Texan with home in Raymondville Gulf Vue Park would appreciate any info on what is going on in Raymondville. Thank you!