Gulf Coast Braces For Bret
Baffin Bay is an area of farms, fishing resorts, and family homes on the south Texas coast, about 40 miles south of Corpus Christi. It's a sparsely populated area. But forecasters say it could be in the bull's eye of hurricane Bret.
All day, the leading bands of wind and rain have buffeted this area. And while some say they will ride out the hurricane, most are scared and getting out, reports CBS News Correspondent Bob McNamara reports.
Tola Lunaas, mother of two, is packing all of the things she can never replace: the trophies, the photo albums, the memories of 15 years on Baffin Bay.
"We're just taking a guess right now where we're gonna go, but we're going away from the water," she said.
Lunaas' children watch as she packs.
"Like if I were to drive back here in two days and find out my house was leveled, I will not feel that upset because I can replace the home, but I will have my family and my things with me and start all over," said Lunaas.
Outside Gregg Lunaas has dismantled a wooden fence to board up the windows of the house. And as winds and rains intensify, he's scared. Hurricane Bret could bring a wall of water that might level his waterfront home.
"Tide surge is one of the main concerns and the tornadoes that are usually associated with hurricanes are always things that I'm worried about," he says.
Nearby, men boarded up the stained glass windows at Our Lady of Consolation Catholic Church. The church will be a shelter tonight for anyone needing it.
"We had a hurried mass so everybody could go home and get prepared," said church member Bill Rudellat. "And said a few prayers."
The Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, says a storm surge -- a 15-foot wall of water -- could come ashore here along with 15 inches of rain. There could be flash floods. FEMA is concerned people here are not leaving fast enough and that the potential for a major disaster exists.
"I hope it [the hurricane] goes another way," said Lupe Fuentes wistfully, as he boarded up the windows of his trailer home.