Harvey evacuees taking refuge at McKinney Falls State Park
Born and raised in Corpus Christi, Evangelina Silvas knows the havoc a hurricane can wreak. With Harvey, no chances were taken.
“I evacuated when they told us to, early, because I was raised in corpus, I was there when Celia happened. I was pregnant at the time and didn't evacuate when I was supposed to, and it was very bad, said Silvas.
She went to Luling and rented a hotel room for some time. She and her family fled to Austin , but not without some damage to her camper.
“The wind got a hold of it, close to that pilot or flying j gas station, 183 and 130, and it ripped the outside paneling,” said Silvas.
Silvas spent her last on two campers for her family. They've been trying to make life as normal as possible, especially for her 12-year-old grandson.
“We tried to put him in a school here in Austin, but they were full,” said Silvas.
Texas Parks and Wildlife says they've seen nearly 8,000 evacuees come in and out of their parks statewide. Currently, close to 500 remain in the parks.
“It also affords them a little privacy instead of being in some gymnasium with 100 cots,” said Cude.
Cude says many of the people he meets just need access to communication tools
“Their needs are a safe place to be, a place that maybe has Wifi, telephone access, those kinds of things so they can get a hold of their insurance company,” said Cude.
Silvas and her family hope to make Austin home. Even with rent prices as they are, she hopes to find a way to make it work.
“I'm on a fixed income, and I just started a business that's not generating any money yet. We can do it. I love Austin, it's amazing
If you want to go for a hike at Mckinney Falls during the day, you can, but recreational overnight stays are not allowed. Overnight stays are for evacuees only. McKinney Falls says they will accept evacuees until September 30, and they will reassess at that point.