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Mayor: Much Of Rockport Will Not Be Rebuilt After Harvey

VICTORIA, Texas (AP) — The mayor of the Gulf Coast community of Rockport says Hurricane Harvey destroyed about a third of the town and that 30 to 35 percent of it will probably never be rebuilt.

Mayor Charles "C.J." Wax said during a panel discussion Tuesday in Victoria that only about 300 businesses out of the 1,300 in Rockport have reopened since Harvey came ashore in August.

Hurricane Harvey Slams Into Texas Gulf Coast
ROCKPORT, TX - AUGUST 26: A damaged building is seen after Hurricane Harvey passed through on August 26, 2017 in Rockport, Texas. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Wax says people know Rockport as the city of trees but most were lost as crews have removed nearly 800,000 cubic yards of vegetative debris.

Wax was joined by three other mayors of communities devastated by Harvey. They spoke as part of a discussion hosted by the Texas Tribune.

Hurricane Harvey
A destroyed building at Rockport Airport after heavy damage when Hurricane Harvey hit Rockport, Texas on August 26, 2017. (MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images)

Port Aransas Mayor Charles Bujan told the panel that 75 percent of the homes in his community were either severely damaged or destroyed.

(© Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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