After Hurricane Harvey hit the small beach town of Port Aransas more than four months ago, the city's mayor 鈥� flanked by a handful of city officials who had stayed on Mustang Island to ride out the storm 鈥� held a press conference at City Hall. The town had been pummeled by Harvey; 75 percent of its structures were destroyed.
Now the Corpus Christi Caller-Times has Port Aransas Mayor Charles Bujan the newsmaker of the year.
Bujan says the devastation from Harvey is something unique 鈥� even to him, a native of Port Aransas.
鈥淭o be honest with you, my family鈥檚 lived here over 130 years so we know what hurricanes are and what they do,鈥� he says. 鈥淭his one was a bit different. It was more catastrophic than any I鈥檝e seen.鈥�
Bujan says the Texas General Land Office is responding as best they can.
鈥淭hey were handed a bad apple to begin with by FEMA,鈥� he says. 鈥淔EMA knew when they gave that project to the GLO that it was a very impossible thing. FEMA does not want to be in the housing business.鈥�
He says FEMA has done a good job in rental assistance 鈥� but providing trailers and mobile homes has been a completely different story.
鈥淭hey have been a tremendous failure,鈥� he says.
Bujan says federal disaster relief funding has also disappointed Port Aransas.
鈥淛ust recently our federal government released $54 million in grants,鈥� he says. 鈥�$47 million went to Houston. What does that leave for the rest of the coast?鈥�
Despite that, Bujan says the people of Port Aransas have done good recovery work on their own.
鈥淲e鈥檙e resilient people,鈥� he says. 鈥淲e live by the sea. We understand what the sea can do. And we don鈥檛 give up. And we will come back, and we鈥檒l come back strong.鈥�
Written by Jen Rice.
