PORT ARANSAS, Tex. (NBC News) – As Hurricane Harvey slammed into the Texas Gulf Coast the small town of Port Aransas took the most severe hit.
Water and wind ravaged the area, but as the system stalled over Houston – bringing historic flooding to the nation’s fourth largest city – Port Aransas seemed to be forgotten.
Now more than two months after the storm, the struggle to rebuild continues.
“We’re still in the middle of the disaster,” says Mayor Charles Bujan.
Port Aransas is still in ruins. There’s a mountain of debris on the outskirts of the island town, and piles of rubble still line the streets.
Businesses and shops are empty shells, and the city’s infrastructure is gone.
“Our police department, our EMS, our court system building is totally destroyed,” Bujan says. “The last figure I got, was around $43 million in losses.”
Even the traffic lights are on temporary stands.
Still, but the most severe damage from the storm, was in the neighborhoods.
Seventy-five percent of the homes in Port Aransas were destroyed when Harvey hit, with winds over 150 mph, a storm surge of more than 11 feet. Only about a quarter of the town’s population has been able to return.
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