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“We are getting hammered. Dolly’s been blowing big time. Since 1:45 p.m. it has been blowing and going. We lost our fence, shrubbery and limbs on our trees. Thank God we have power. We are one of the fortunate people that do have power,” said Soliz who has lived there for 22 years.
“It’s really bad right now, we’re talking about horizontal rain, very strong winds and a lot of flooding,” he said Wednesday afternoon.
While they have power, the family said they lost the cable signal and the radio signal is vague and full of static. They have been on the phone with Homer Soliz, Ray Soliz’s father, who lives in Victoria, for news updates on the weather situation, Ray Soliz said.
He is sharing the news with his neighbors, friends and employees.
“I asked him to call me every four hours,” Ray Soliz said.
Soliz, who has experienced previous hurricanes, had to stay in town because of his work.
“I’m part of a disaster team so I’ve got to stick around,” he. The team, through the Texas Glass Association, dispatches employees to take care of glass needs after a catastrophic event. Soliz is the general manager of Harlingen Glass and Mirror and president-elect of the Texas Glass association.
However, it is the first hurricane in this area for his wife, Lucy Soliz, who is also a native of Victoria, and their two children, Laura Soliz, 21, and son Stephen Soliz, 17, who are making a documentary of hurricane Dolly.
“This storm creeped up on us. We were not prepared,” Soliz said. He and his neighbors are awe-struck, he said.
“We’re fine, we’re doing good,” he said, but advises others to make sure and stay informed of the weather situation. Even if it is only a tropical depression these storms can quickly turn into a strong hurricane as Dolly did.
On South Padre Island, Judy Macintyre said she and her family missed out on the worst Dolly had to offer.
“We have no power, no water, but we think we came out pretty well,” said Macintyre, who lives in a unit at the condominium complex she and her husband manage.
Many guests in the rental units evacuated, but five or six families decided to stay, she said.
The 20-unit building had a little water damage and the winds roughed up the landscaping, but they escaped major damage, Macintyre said. She hasn’t driven around the island, but said some of her neighbors had roof damage.
The family barbecued hamburgers on a charcoal grill Wednesday on night.
“It’s like camping,” Macintyre said.
Christina Burke and Leslie Wilber are reporters for the Advocate. Contact Burke at 361-580-6516 or cburke@vicad.com. Contact Wilber at 361-580-6521 or lwilber@vicad.com.