Texas coastal residents urged to leave ahead of Harvey's landfall

ARANSAS PASS, Texas – Mandatory evacuations were issued Thursday morning for several coastal communities.

Calhoun, San Patricio and Refugio counties have issued mandatory evacuation orders.

However, Corpus Christi and Nueces County have not yet taken that step.

“We are going to, in the strongest possible terms, encourage the residents in the low lying areas to, as they say, get out of Dodge," Corpus Christi Mayor Joe McComb said. "We are up to and almost at the threshold of mandatory evacuation. We are not going to cross that line right now."

McComb said the possibility of a 10-foot storm surge is why the city is considering taking this step. Mandatory evacuation is a massive undertaking. Residents are not the only ones asked to leave, this type of order also affects businesses, nursing homes, shelters and hospitals.

McComb is strongly urging residents in low lying areas like Flour Bluff and Oso Creek to leave now.

WATCH: Corpus Christi holding off on evacuation

In contrast, the Aransas Pass Police Department has spent the day warning residents through social media to leave town now. The city is offering bus rides to residents who don't have cars or can't afford the gas to evacuate to higher ground.

The town's hospital is closed and the sole nursing home is transferring 90 elderly residents to a sister facility in San Antonio. Businesses are closed and won't reopen until after Harvey passes.

The Police Department also told citizens city water services will be shut off at noon on Friday. To underscore the need to evacuate, Aransas Pass Police Department's latest Tweet read, "FOLKS SHOULD LEAVE."

Emergency management officials also warned residents if they stay, police, fire and EMS services may not be able to reach them until after Harvey passes.

For those staying there was a scramble to buy lumber. Many were caught off guard by Harvey's expected intensification.

WATCH: Mandatory evacuations along Texas coast

"We kept hearing Category 1 and all of sudden today, it jumps up to a Category 3. Surprised us enough that we didn’t have plans to get out of town," said Ken Reeves. "Storm surge is not my worry, 110-miles-per-hour winds is a little more my concern now."

Reeves, like many in Aransas Pass, were buying lumber to board up windows. Ken Hatch and his son were loading up their pickup truck with lumber to secure their home's garage door.

"We're leaving after that, I don't want to be here with my son when the storm comes," said Hatch, who is planning to head to Halletsville.

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About the Author:

Award winning investigative journalist who joined KPRC 2 in July 2000. Husband and father of the Master of Disaster and Chaos Gremlin. “I don’t drink coffee to wake up, I wake up to drink coffee.”