“Harvey: Hell and High Water”

Port Aransas South Jetty Newspaper  
August 31, 2017

Hurricane Harvey struck Port Aransas overnight on Friday, Aug. 25, 2017. Our staff evacuated Thursday afternoon, Aug. 24. We managed to publish the next week’s edition on Aug. 31, remotely working with staff members scattered across Texas from Dallas to Laredo and the Rio Grande Valley. We were able to take photos from a helicopter on the Sunday after the storm, as well as make our way into town on the ground that day. We set up shop in a condominium on North Padre Island the following week and published the next four editions from there. We have a reporting staff of two (who also shoot photos), and a part-time writer who handles soft news. From the time we evacuated even through today, we posted free access stories on our website and Facebook page. Harvey is far from over, and our coverage continues today. Our readers have called our coverage of the storm a lifeline that they depended upon and appreciated. Our team put getting vital information to our readers ahead of their own losses due to the storm. Our ad director’s home was demolished, our news editor’s home suffered severe damage and he and his family likely will not be able to return until March. The South Jetty’s print and digital coverage made a difference in the lives of everyone who lives and/or owns property in Port Aransas. We were the only source of accurate, local information in a time of great need.

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Submitted by Mary Judson.