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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 1, 1977)
'\f\lfhere will storm hit? THE BATTALION Page 3 THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 1977 State readies for Anita United Press International AlSTlN — Gov. Dolph Briscoe id several other state officials yes- lay announced emergency plans ie event Hurricane Anita strikes Texas Gulf Coast. iVeare ready,” Briscoe said. “At point we have no way to know eachofljli direction the storm will go, fast it is going to move, or er or not it’s going to hit the as coast, but all precautions pos- are being taken. ” riscoe said he had suspended e regulations forbidding the 'ement of over-sized mobile les in the coastal area so that »ns living in the homes who , ted to evacuate would not need “tCoifi, nits. The suspension was re- pm. inn ted to the Gulf Coast area. Gen. Thomas S. Bishop of Texas National Guard said 2,400 dmen already were on alert in th Texas with a two hour de ment capability. eorge Hill, division manager for Red Cross, said 60 workers al ly were manning 25 emergency ters from Beaumont to Corpus sti and that 35 emergency vehi- were ready to move into the )peti on tlieiij nt fcsindfj thi 1 position; iment. elation: it tiveseal culture. 5ins her ill call a (Ie Witt id howed brougl denieil <ers ii iffidals need a limfor ractive ) days. : tnisl its. alesd is'251 mixed 7 area behind the hurricane. Officials in the State Department of Health said it had stockpiled medical supplies in the area and was prepared to move in sanitation equipment. The Texas Railroad Commission indicated it was prepared to move in before the storm to check oil and natural gas pipelines to decide if they should be shutdown. Officials in the Parks and Wildlife Department said it had 70 wardens on the coast who were securing equipment. They also said 50 water safety boats were ready to move in behind the storm in case of lowland flooding. Col. Wilson S. Speir, head of the Department of Public Safety, said 500 officers already were in the coastal area and that force could be expanded to up to 1,500 officers if necessary. State Insurance Board chairman Joe Christie said he had asked in surance companies to be fully pre pared for any emergency demands from Anita. “I have been assured that insur ance companies and their represen tatives have been preparing for any situation that might develop with Anita,” Christie said. “It is my expectation that claims will be handled as fast and effi ciently as possible, and that hard ship cases will be considered a top priority. An insurance industry spokesman said Texas insurance industry repre sentatives have been monitoring Anita’s storm activity and have im plemented emergency procedures. The spokesman said catastrophe of fices for handling claims will be es tablished if needed and extra per sonnel have been contacted. “All insurance claims will be dealt with as expediently and as effi ciently as circumstances allow,” the spokesman said. Anita "dear’ for oil companies in Gulf Canteens opened United Press International DALLAS — Salvation Army can teen emergency centers were opened in nine cities yesterday to accommodate any evacuees of Hur ricane Anita. Maj. Raymond Cooper, state dis aster director for the Texas branch of the religious organization, said facilities in Port Arthur, Orange, Beaumont, Galveston, Houston, Freeport, Corpus Christi, McAllen and Harlingen would remain open “for as long as the emergency lasts.” Cooper said the Army’s command center would be located at Corpus Christi. Anita, which became a hurricane only Tuesday, was moving slowly westward toward the Texas coast yesterday at about 5 miles per hour. It was located about 350 miles southeast of Corpus Christi. lalveston business repares for Anita United Press International ALVESTON — Veterans of ir hurricanes took a few prelimi- precautions yesterday, but wise played a waiting game as ta, destination unknown, coiled punch in the Gulf of Mexico, oad closings, orders to evacuate lying areas and other harbin- of possible trouble affected re- irant and hotel business in this id tourist town, but not always ;atively. People who aren’t natives are oming alarmed, and they are ting town,” said Benno Deltz, lager of Gaido’s Restaurant on beachfront. “It’s not alarming (to the natives). It has helped our business. We ll on cooking. We re still kind of mg and watching. We re fully pared to go into boarding up cedures but right now we re as usual. . . just watching the rdinates.” cenllPob Cowan, resident manager of Flagship Hotel, a seven-story icrete and glass structure ched on piers over the Gulf of ixico, agreed. But, he said, he experienced some cancellations. one two-hour span yesterday, wan said he had 20 of 200 rooms iceled, cutting into what was a y booked Labor Day weekend. Ilhey (hurricanes) don’t bother ie too much unless they’re like said Cowan. “That was 50-200 mile-an-hour winds (in - 961). This little one won t bother Jane. The thing that bothers the locals the tornadoes (accompanying the rricane). Winds we can stand, but ire’s nothing you can do about the nadoes.” Cowan and his staff took prelimi- ry precautions. We took down the equipment e the wooden chairs at the pool, e cans and such,’’ Cowan d. “Anything that isn’t tied down have to put it up so it won’t be- me flying missiles. We’ve got a lot of glass, but it’s larter-inch glass and it would take onger winds than anticipated to leak it. rUnless it sits out there and uilds up to 150-mile-an-hour tinds,” Cowan said he planned to de it out. In the event of 150-mile winds, “then I’ll probably go to Houston (45 miles to the north). ’ At the old Hotel Galvez, a giant frame 1920s hotel that has weath ered many a storm, manager Charles Maurins was calm. “We have made just preliminary preparations for a small storm, tap ing windows, securing flying ob jects, getting furniture off the ground and securing, eventually, leaks. That’s about all,” Maurins said. “We have had several storms and this is one of the safest places in town. I have been through several hurricanes — the last big one — and never failed for one minute to do my job and I hope I will be doing that exactly also through this little storm.” United Press International NEW ORLEANS — Each day Hurricane Anita lingers in the Gulf of Mexico, the nation’s supply of natural gas is reduced by more than 2.5 billion cubic feet, and crude oil production is cut better than nine million gallons. The petroleum cutbacks are the result of oil companies being forced to evacuate 7,000 workers from offshore drilling platforms in the Gulf. “You have to figure the cost of helicopters and crew boats to get the men in to shore and then you ve got the cost of housing them and feeding them once they get there,” said a spokesman for one of 46 com panies licensed to operate in the Gulf. “On top of all that, you’ve got the lost production, because you’re still paying these people salaries. Your guess is as good as mine, but I can tell you this: It’s costing a pile.” A spokesman for Gulf Oil said his company alone was losing $1 million per day during the hurricane evacu ation. But, most other companies were unable to even guess their total losses. Brian Toal of Shell said his com pany evacuted 558 offshore workers and was losing about $500,000 per day. “That’s only a very rough ball park figure,” Toal said. “The biggest cost for us is the idle rental rig equipment. The rental cost is even bigger than salaries, transportation or lodging.” Aside from those costs, there is the temporary loss of gas and oil production. Before the drilling platforms were evacuated, workers completed “shut in operations which halted the flow of natural gas and crude oil. Wells were closed to prevent pollu tion that could occur if the platform were damaged. Several oil companies refused to reveal their production figures, but officials of four firms said they lost a combined daily total of 2.5 billion cubic feet of gas and 215,000 barrels of oil. A barrel of oil contains 42 gallons of crude so the amount of petroleum being halted by just those four com panies was 2.5 billion cubic feet of gas and nine million gallons of oil. “But this isn’t really Tost’ produc tion,” Toal said. “This is really de ferred production. We re going to get (the oil and gas) back sometime during the life of the field. ” Dave Tayrien of Amoco Produc tion Co. said costs of the evacuation were high, but predictable. “This is something you have to expect this time of year, he said. “This is part of the cost of doing business in the Gulf of Mexico.” (Continued from Page 1) though. I’ll just board up by shop (surfing equipment rental) and go home. I’ve got a pretty good home. The National Weather Service has recommended evacuation of low-lying areas along the coast, but no wholesale move inland has be gun. Mike Yuras, salesmen in a sport ing goods store in Corpus Christi, said people were stockpiling gasoline and buying camp stoves, flashlights, lanterns, and batteries. “After the storm hits, the electric ity is always off for three or four days,” he said. “The lumber com panies are going crazy with busi ness. “About 80 per cent of the people here have been through one or two hurricanes. The people who haven’t been through one are the ones that are panicking. They’re calling everybody. Their fear is the fear of not knowing what to do. “What they need to do is protect their investment and then get out of here.” Yuras said there is some evidence of hurricane parties and surfing in the high tides. “That sort of thing always goes on, no doubt,” he said. “Hurricane parties. Those people are fools, gambling with their lives. I think it’s kind of sick. ” L.C. Oldham, operator of a surf ing, shop on the beach at Galvestoh, said many people are driving along the sea wall — which was built be cause of the devastating turn of the century hurricane with killed 6,000 to 8,000 — watching the waves. “Tm not renting any surfboards, but just because I won’t,” he said. “These kind of waves, they just tear them to pieces. “A lot of people are afraid of Gal veston Island and they always have been since 1900. Me, I’m not look ing for it to hit here. I’m looking for it to go south. But if it turns this way, I’ll just board up and go home. I’m on high ground.” Yarbrough misses civil hearing United Press International HOUSTON — Former State Su preme Court Justice Donald B. Yarbrough failed to show up in court yesterday for trial in a civil suit al leging he failed to pay about $190 to a personnel agency. County Court-at-Law Judge Hugo Touchy, after a three minute trial, found that Yarbrough owed the money to Lyman Personnel Services, Inc. He ordered Yar brough to pay the money plus $75 in attorneys’ fees. Yarbrough had de nied owing the money. Steven W Powell joins the team of professionals at Charles Thomas & Associates. Protective Life is happy to announce the appointment of Steven W. Powell as Sales Representative with Charles Thomas & Associates. Call on him. He is equipped to serve your personal or business insurance needs. Charles Thomas & Associates. 520 E. 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