Destruction, death crush fishing village

ROCKPORT, Texas — As the sun rose Saturday, the full extent of the catastrophic damage in Rockport became clear: The fishing village was nearly flattened, with numerous buildings destroyed and snapped power lines, tree limbs and twisted metal littering the streets.

Three people were reported killed in and around Rockport, officials said.

The smell of gas filled the air at the Rockport-Fulton High School where the gymnasium was destroyed; the auditorium’s doors were caved in, windows shattered.

Even as huge wind gusts and heavy rain continued to pummel the region, the road leading to Rockport was a scene of destruction: trailer homes twisted and toppled, flood waters inundating businesses and homes, debris choking the roads.

Rockport police, hampered by a lack of cellphone and radio service, were assessing damage throughout the city Saturday morning and looking for any residents who might need rescue or medical help. Many police SUVs at the station had their windows shattered by the hurricane.

“Our town ain’t never going to be the same,” Officer Eli Ramos said as he started a patrol.

Downtown Rockport was littered with ruined businesses and historic homes that sustained catastrophic damage. An estimated 60 percent of the town did not leave.

Palm trees were bent into unnatural positions, and twisted metal signs gave evidence of the winds that tore through the city for hours Friday night.

Bob Kerber Jr. and his wife, Dottie, who retired to Rockport four years ago, were cleaning up Saturday morning after riding out the hurricane.

Kerber said it was frightening as 140 mph winds bounced debris off their sturdy brick home, which largely survived.

“I’d been through storms as a youngster in Florida, but nothing like this,” Kerber said. “It was the howling. You’re hearing all these things flying.”

A neighbor’s detached garage collapsed, leaving behind a pile of rubble, and Kerber’s yard was filled with debris from around the neighborhood. Much of the neighborhood was flooded with standing water, which drew an orchestra of small bullfrogs that croaked in a steady rhythm.

“They’re the only things in Rockport that are happy about all this,” he said.

[TAMIR KALIFA/THE NEW YORK TIMES] A recreational vehicle destroyed by Hurricane Harvey came to rest in State Highway 188 outside of Rockport, Texas. Rockport, a coastal town of about 10,000, was in the hurricane’s path when it came ashore late Friday.