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U.S. NEWS Monday 9 october 2017

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Tourism drop means Harvey still punishing Texas beach towns

170,000-plus people. Visi- economy robust through mountain of debris more
tors spent $221 million in the holidays and until than three-stories high.
2016 just in Port Aransas, spring. Power company and inter-
a onetime fishing village Wheeler says he’d usually net provider vans are ev-
that’s now home to around be organizing large fishing erywhere, as crews repair
4,000 full-time residents. trips nearly every day, but infrastructure. Golf carts
In other years, October is now takes just one smaller — a favored mode of lo-
when “Winter Texans” — excursion a week. cal transportation — have
part-time residents from “It’s not that no one wants to avoid shattered glass
colder locales — take up to come,” Wheeler said. and mangled light poles.
temporary residence, while “There’s just nowhere for They’re more likely, these
shorter-term tourists come them to stay yet.” days, to be filled with Salva-
for the weekends. Drivers entering Port Aran- tion Army personnel or con-
The influx of people is nor- sas encounter bulldozers struction crews than tourists
In this photo, a cyclist passes a weathered sign along the beach mally enough to keep the tearing into a roadside hitting the beach.q
in Port Aransas, Texas. Hurricane Harvey dealt a body blow to
the beach town and wiped out the end of the lucrative sum-
mer season. Tourists are expected to stay away through the
holidays, and even the possibility of getting back to business by
spring break looks bleak.
(AP Photo/Eric Gay)

By WILL WEISERT and eateries, inns and T-
Associated Press shirt shops are facing a
PORT ARANSAS, Texas (AP) painful paradox: Tourists
— Born and raised in this who are their economic
Texas Gulf Coast beach lifeblood likely won’t re-
town, James Wheeler Jr. turn until the rebuild is in full
finds himself sawing ply- swing, but picking up the
wood and hanging sheet pieces after Harvey may
rock at a time when he not truly begin without the
would normally be lead- profits tourists bring.
ing deep-sea fishing excur- “That’s the risk,” said David
sions, trying to hook tuna or Teel, president of the Texas
Spanish mackerel by the Travel Industry Association.
cooler-full. “The recovery will come.
Since Hurricane Harvey But it will never be fast
came through Port Aran- enough for these folks.”
sas just before Labor Day Insurance money and sup-
— damaging or destroy- port from federal grants
ing 80 percent of homes will help residents rebuild
and business and wiping homes and businesses, and
out the lucrative summer in some cases even cover
season’s final weeks — the businesses’ lost income and
38-year-old boat captain employees’ lost wages. But
has become an amateur that will pale in comparison
builder, working to repair to what tourists would nor-
the roof of a sea head- mally be spending, likely
quarters building where he helping ensure that recov-
and others dock their plea- ery moves more slowly.
sure crafts. Locals expect the normally
“Port Aransas is built on the busy Thanksgiving, Christ-
tourist dollar,” said Wheeler, mas and New Year’s holi-
ticking off attractions be- days to be slow.
sides fishing: surfing, nature Even the possibility of get-
reserves, seafood restau- ting back to business by
rants and beaches where spring break looks bleak.
it’s always cocktail hour. Visitors to Texas’ Gulf Coast
“That dollar’s not coming spent $18.7 billion last year,
right now.” according to state esti-
In many Texas seaside en- mates, and the region’s
claves, the owners of bars tourism industry employed