Harvey 2017 Live Coverage: Aransas Pass enforcing overnight curfew

Aug. 28--8:30 p.m.: Aransas Pass Mayor Ramiro Gomez announced the city's police force is enforcing a curfew from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. Any person caught out of their house will be stopped and interrogated. Additionally, San Patricio District Attorney Tamara Cochran said she would show zero tolerance for looting in Hurricane Harvey's aftermath.

6:30 p.m.: Corpus Christi is connecting volunteers with donations to those affected by Hurricane Harvey.

To help, call the city's at 361-826-CITY (2489) from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Provide your contact information, and the type of resources or services offered.

The information will go to organizations that have mobilized for distribution of donations and volunteers in Corpus Christi, Rockport, Port Aransas, Aransas Pass and other neighboring communities, according to a city news release.

6:25 p.m.: The schedule for Tuesday's Corpus Christi City Council meeting and budget hearing was altered to allow city leaders more time for recovery efforts.

The regular council meeting and its agenda was shortened, and the budget meeting was tentatively moved to 3 p.m. Aug. 31.

City Hall will re-open to the public and resume regular operations on Tuesday. Hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The city's virtual budget meeting scheduled for broadcast on Facebook Live, Twitter and CCTV at 6 p.m. Monday, is postponed until further notice.

The Texas Windstorm Insurance Association is aiding policyholders affected by the storm. TWIA storm recovery information is at www.cctexas.com/harvey.

6:18 p.m.: J.C. Elliott Transfer Station has extended its hours of operation from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. for the remainder of the week to accommodate the increased volume of work.

Residential customers can use the free services at the station -- located at Highway 286 at Ayers -- to dispose of storm debris, brush, garbage and recyclables, and household hazardous waste.

For more information, call 361-857-1631.

6:12 p.m.: Vector Control employees will check for standing water and apply larvicide where necessary in Corpus Christi. Once weather conditions improve, adulticide spraying will start for the entire city, according to a city news release.

Residents are encouraged to dispose of any standing water accumulated in tires or open containers, and to treat pool water as soon as possible.

Also, animal care services opened at noon Monday to allow owners to search for missing pets. CCACS has a 10-day stray hold to allow pet owners who evacuated enough time to return and reclaim their pets.

For more information, call 361-826-4630.

The City Call Center is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. Representatives will assist callers with information, accessing services and reporting problems. Call 361-826-2489.

For the city's updates on Hurricane Harvey, residents can visit www.cctexas.com/harvey. Details also are at facebook.com/citygov and at twitter.com/cityofcc.

4:20 p.m.: The Port of Corpus Christi remains closed. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is conducting surveys of the ship channel that must be completed before the port can reopen. The current target date for reopening is Sept. 4, according to a port statement.

2:02 p.m.: Port Aransas residents, anxiously waiting to get back into the town, lined up outside a police checkpoint Monday morning. They would be allowed in on a temporary basis -- until 6 p.m.

Port Aransas has no electricity, water or wastewater services, and there remain hazards, including downed powerlines and nails on roads.

The idea of the temporary re-entry, officials said, was to give residents and business owner the opportunity to take a look at their properties and retrieve personal items left behind when they evacuated.

Some will have little home to go to, and few items to be retrieved.

Several residents said they have seen the photos of the town, post-Harvey, on social media. But they needed to see their own property for themselves.

Kristi Schmidt was among those who were early to get into line to come into town.

"I have to see my house," she said. "...that's the main thing. To see, take pictures. Then start the long road to recovery."

1:56 a.m.: Gov. Greg Abbott addresses media at Department of Public Safety office in Corpus Christi. Says ensuring safety is top priority.

1:15 p.m.: Authorities in Aransas County, where Hurricane Harvey made landfall, announced Monday that 80 percent of the search and rescue is complete.

Billy Terry, a spokesman for the Aransas County emergency operations center, said 670 residents are sheltering in place. Ten people have been evacuated. Rescue crews saved one person who was trapped, Terry said.

Four-hundred-seven structures were demolished, 354 have major damage and 88 have minor damage.

The category 4 hurricane roared through South Texas on Aug. 25. One person has been confirmed dead, Terry said.

This is a developing story.

1 p.m.: The Nueces County Courthouse and all county buildings will be open for regular business hours Tuesday, according to county officials.

12:45 p.m.: AEP Texas crews had reduced the outages from Hurricane Harvey to 150,500 customers. At their peak Saturday, the outages numbered 220,000.

Here's a breakdown of outages by area:

Aransas Pass-Rockport area: 45,500

Corpus Christi: 57,400

Victoria: 21,000

Port Lavaca: 14,000

Sinton: 4,900

El Campo: 3,700

Beeville: 2,200

Kenedy: 1,500

AEP Texas expects power to be restored to 95 percent of the customers in Corpus Christi and Sinton.

Restoration dates and times are still to be determined for Rockport, Port Aransas, Fulton, Woodsboro, Port Lavaca, Lamar and Bayside, where damage was extreme.

Residents can track progress on the restoration effort by visiting the outage area at www.aeptexas.com.

11:12 a.m.: Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday activated the entire Texas National Guard to respond to the devastation caused by Hurricane Harvey.

With this order, about 12,000 guardsmen are now activated to assist with search and rescue efforts for anyone in immediate danger and recovery efforts once the storm passes. Previously, there were about 3,000 guardsmen mobilized to assist with operations.

"It is imperative that we do everything possible to protect the lives and safety of people across the state of Texas as we continue to face the aftermath of this storm," Abbott said in a statement. "The Texas National Guard is working closely with FEMA and federal troops to respond urgently to the growing needs of Texans who have fallen victim to Hurricane Harvey, and the activation of the entire Guard will assist in the efforts already underway."

9:45 a.m.: The water boil advisory has been lifted for residents in the Padre Island area, after test results showed no issues with the water supply there, City of Corpus Christi officials said on Monday. The water boil advisory for the rest of the city, ordered Friday, was rescinded Sunday.

Clarence Wittwer, the city's director of water operations, said the city erred on the side of caution in issuing its water boil notices, primarily because officials were unable to monitor water pressure during and after the storm because of power outages. The notice was also mandated by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

Low water pressure can allow water to stagnate in the pipes, but Wittwer said test results showed the water was safe.

"At this time, we have no reason to believe the water was ever unsafe," he said.

9:20 a.m.: Corpus Christi police have blocked streets in the vicinity of the Wells Fargo tower along Upper Broadway and neighboring streets because of damage to the exterior top floor of the building. Some of the sheet-metal letters spelling "Wells Fargo" had fallen off during the hurricane and other letters and parts of the sign were dangling precariously.

9 a.m.: Entry to Port Aransas via State Highway 361 will be limited to first responders and hurricane recovery crews when the surge wall is reopened, according to the Texas Department of Transportation. When limited ferry operations resume, that service also will be for first responders and recovery crews only, and the public can enter Port Aransas from the south via State Highway 361.

8:55 a.m.: Gov. Greg Abbott tells CNN that overnight, arrangements were made to have 150 more rescue boats and 300 more high-water vehicles dispatched to Houston. He said he's received reports that 30,000 to 40,000 Texans have been displaced by Harvey.

"We will have even more," Abbott told the network.

Meanwhile, he said that he hopes President Donald Trump, when he comes to Texas on Tuesday, understands the magnitude of the damage inflicted on the state and the daunting challenge its people face going forward.

"This is going to be a very long-term project helping Texas dig out," Abbott said.

8:45 a.m.: Tropical Storm Harvey is returning to the Texas Coast north of the path it took last week when it was a deadly hurricane.

As of 7 a.m. Monday, the National Hurricane Center reported the center of the storm was 40 miles northeast of Port O'Connor with 40 mile per hour winds. Those winds extend 175 miles from the center, which includes Aransas, San Patricio, Nueces, Jim Wells and Kleberg counties.

The low-pressure center is moving back into the Gulf of Mexico, so strengthening is possible. There is a tropical storm warning from Mesquite Bay just north of Aransas County to High Island on the upper Texas coast.

The storm continues to drop torrential rain on the northeastern portions of the Texas Coast and Louisiana, including the greater Houston area. Some places could see more than four feet of rain by Friday.

Another five to 15 inches is possible in the communities hit hardest when Hurricane Harvey made landfall Friday night.

The Houston area is already heavily flooded from weekend rains and state and federal workers are conducting high water rescues.

8:15 a.m.: Portland announced it launched a contractor registration process as the town's residents prepare to repair properties. The city also implemented permitting processes to accelerate the rebuilding process.

"To help protect our residents from dishonest contractors, the city of Portland will require all contractors to register with the city before beginning any work in Portland," the city's website states. The city is waiving the registration fee for contractors hired to repair or build fences, as well as those hired for tree and brush removal. Contractors are required to provide their name, address and driver's license.

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