GALVESTON, Texas – Galveston is recovering from heavy overnight storms ahead of the Lone Star Rally, which will start on schedule Thursday.
Tents and other items set up for the rally along the strand were destroyed or scattered during the storms and high winds Wednesday night as a cold front pushed through the area.
Julian Zamora, who was there for the overnight storms, described what the experience was like.
“Our sign was blowing back and forth. I mean the wind was going crazy,” Zamora said. “We were getting tornado warnings in our little phones off our apps and everything, but I mean, really the wind was just going sideways. I was like, 'Man, I wonder what’s going on here with all the people’s tents.'”
Vendors who had already set up and had damage to their tents will now have to spend more time resetting their area before people start to arrive for the rally.
“There’s some clothing merchandisers down here,” Pamela Iter, of Arizona, said as she pointed to the damage. “There’s just jackets and thousands of dollars just gone.”’
The Halloween night storm was a nightmare for Tennessee vendor Angela Solomon. Discovering the destruction left her in tears.
When asked why she was crying Solomon said, “Just all the cleanup that we have today and then I don’t want to do all this.”
Despite the rain and damage, spirits are still high, according to Zamora, who said it’s Galveston and they are going to party anyway and work through this.
Around 250,000 motorcyclists are expected to be in the area for the rally. The four-day event is expected to bring $115 million to the city.