Shrimpers suffer

Photos by Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise

The Sea Dragon shrimp boat sits idle in Sabine Pass on Thursday, May 1, 2008. The boat's captain said the low price of imported shrimp, high fuel prices and short domestic season make it difficult to break even.


Chau Tran repairs nets aboard the Sea Dragon shrimp boat. Many Gulf of Mexico shrimpers have left the business in recent years due to farm-raised shrimp driving prices down.



Chau Tran repairs nets aboard the Sea Dragon shrimp boat in Sabine Pass. Although wild shrimp are superior to farm-raised shrimp, clients demand the lower price for wild shrimp.


Chau Tran repairs nets aboard the Sea Dragon shrimp boat. Due to low prices and high expenses, crew members are paid less than they were in the past.

Please read, "Gulf of Mexico shrimpers suffering net losses" by Sarah Moore.

Coast Guard Auxiliary recruitment

Photos by Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise

Coast Guard members and guests gather around a rescue helicopter during a Coast Guard training day at the U.S. Coast Guard Station Sabine in Sabine Pass on Saturday, Jan. 12, 2008. Auxiliary members and potential members observed and participated.


Retired WWII veteran Lee Timaeus (left) and active duty Chief Petty Officer James Elsenburg (right) watch as a helicopter lifts off during a Coast Guard training day at the U.S. Coast Guard Station Sabine in Sabine Pass. Timaeus plans to join the ausiliary.

Hurricane Humberto video

Photos and video by Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise

Hurricane Humberto made landfall in Texas between High Island and Sabine Pass on Thursday, Sept. 13, 2007. For the first time in recorded history, a storm went from a tropical depression to a strong Category 1 hurricane in less than 18 hours. The hurricane surprised many Southeast Texas residents.

Adopt-A-Beach cleanup

Photos by Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise

Shilpa Chandra (left) and Jelani Oville (right) with the American Medical Students Association at Lamar University collect trash during an Adopt-A-Beach cleanup event at McFaddin Beach near Sabine Pass on Saturday, Sept. 22, 2007.


Tyler Montero, 15 (from left to right), Zechariah Turk, 16, Hunter Hanratty, 11, and Taylor Williams pull a truck inner tube ashore during an Adopt-A-Beach cleanup event at McFaddin Beach. The annual fall cleanup is sponsored by the Texas General Land Office and held at different locations along the Texas coast.


Volunteers dig in the sand for buried trash during an Adopt-A-Beach cleanup event at McFaddin Beach.


Daniel Curl, 16 (from left to right), Tyler Montero, 15, Zechariah Turk, 16, Hunter Hanratty, 11 and Taylor Williams look for debris during an Adopt-A-Beach cleanup event at McFaddin Beach.

Hurricane Humberto slideshow

Photos by Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise

To make the show play better, CLICK HERE to view only this post.

Hurricane Humberto developed from a tropical depression into a strong Category 1 hurricane in 18 hours. Most Southeast Texas residents went to bed expecting a bad storm and some morning flooding. Instead, Hurricane Humberto hit hard and fast. For residents of High Island and surrounding communities it hit with unpresidented fury.

Luckily, there was only one hurricane-related fatality.

Battle of Sabine Pass remembrance slideshow

Photos and music by Mark M. Hancock / photos © The Beaumont Enterprise

Members of the Edward Lea Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War reenactment group participate in a ceremony honoring Union soldiers lost at the Sabine Pass Battleground State Park and Historical Site in Sabine Pass on Saturday, Sept. 8, 2007. It was the first event to take place at the park since Hurricane Rita destroyed it almost two years ago.

On Sept. 8, 1863, 48 men repelled an attack by four warships and 1,200 men of the Union Army and Navy. No Texas defenders were lost in the battle.

Please read, "Union soldier monument marks battle along with Rita recovery" by Rose Ybarra.

Sabine Pass FEMA Trailers

Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise

Sabine Pass resident Phyllis Almond is optimistic about purchasing her trailer in the Sabine Pass community on Wednesday, July 11, 2007. FEMA decided to allow some residents to purchase Hurricane Rita-related travel trailers for a fraction of market value.


Video © Mark M. Hancock / DFWmark.com

Sabine Pass, Texas took the direct hit from Hurricane Rita on Sept. 24, 2005. The community was completely destroyed. FEMA eventually issued travel trailers as temporary housing until homes were rebuilt. Most residents still live in these trailers pending the completion of their homes.

FEMA officials recently decided to allow these residents to purchase the trailers for pennies on the dollar. The offer was so good that almost every FEMA trailer resident purchased the trailers.

Some will continue to live in the trailers. Others will use them for camping. All want the security of a place to store and haul their belongings when another hurricane approaches and, if necessary, a familiar place to call home.

Shrimpers return to port

Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise

A shrimp boat returns from the Gulf of Mexico near the historic Sabine Pass lighthouse on Wednesday, May 16, 2007.

Shrimp poacher hunters

A Texas game warden prepares to patrol the Texas waters of the Gulf of Mexico for shrimp fishing season violators with a U.S. Coast Guard unit from the Sabine Pass station on Wednesday, May 16, 2007. For governmental security concerns, the game warden could not be identified.


Photos by Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise


A U.S. Coast Guard unit from the Sabine Pass station gets briefed before a Texas Gulf Coast patrol. The individual members of the patrol could not be identified due to military security concerns.


U.S. Coast Guard members and a Texas game warden search Texas waters in the Gulf of Mexico for shrimp fishing season violators. If they find violators, Coast Guard crew would board the boat, arrest the captain and escort the vessel back to shore.


A U.S. Coast Guard member from the Sabine Pass station looks for shrimp fishing season violators off the Texas Gulf Coast aboard U.S. Coast Guard 41389, a 41-foot USCG utility boat. The penalty for shrimping out of season is up to a year in jail and a $5,000 fine.



U.S. Coast Guard members from the Sabine Pass station search for Texas shrimp fishing season violators after sunset in the Gulf of Mexico. Texas shrimp season ended May 15 to allow shrimp to recover. It will resume in mid-July.


A U.S. Coast Guard member from the Sabine Pass station searches for Texas shrimp fishing season violators after sunset in the Gulf of Mexico.


U.S. Coast Guard members from the Sabine Pass station follow a potential Texas shrimp fishing season violator after sunset in the Gulf of Mexico.



Photos Mark M. Hancock /  © The Beaumont Enterprise

Sabine Pass Santa

Katherine Smith, 11 months, doesn't like Santa during the 2nd annual Winter Festival at the Sabine Pass School in Sabine Pass on Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2006.


Photos by Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise


Santa Claus reaches for his basket of Santa Sharks, the school mascot, during the 2nd annual Winter Festival at the Sabine Pass School. Hurricane Rita made landfall over the small Gulf Coast community more than a year ago. Although many residents remain in FEMA trailers and even tents, the community gathers at the school to celebrate the season.

LNG plant construction

Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise

The Lucky Lily shrimp boat heads toward the Gulf of Mexico as construction continues on the Golden Pass LNG (liquified natural gas) plant in Port Arthur on Friday, Aug. 18, 2006. Construction workers anticipated to work on the project may put a strain on the city's infrastructure.

Extreme fire engine

Photos by Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise

The new Sabine Pass fire engine sports a custom shark logo to match the school's mascot at the Sabine Pass School in Sabine Pass on Friday, Aug. 18, 2006. E-one of Ocala, Fla. donated a new fire engine to the Port Arthur Fire Department's Sabine Pass station as part of the "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition -- After the Storm" series.


Pre-K teacher Tracie Billeaud (right) and her class examine the community's new fire engine at the Sabine Pass School in Sabine Pass. Much of Sabine Pass was irreparably damaged when Hurricane Rita made landfall directly above the community.


Firefighter David Simmons (right) explains parts of the new fire engine to students at the Sabine Pass School. Firefighters were presented with a new "loaner" fire engine during the taping of Extreme Makeover. The new one is permanent.


Sabine Pass School students are the first in Sabine Pass to inspect the community's new fire engine. While most of the historic community has been demolished, many remaining residents live in trailers next to their blue-tarped homes.


The community's new fire engine backs into the station in Sabine Pass. Because the community was so badly damaged, Extreme Makeover tackled projects to help the entire community including the fire station and the school's theater. The station was gutted and rebuilt in four days.

Please see additional photos on Fayrouz's blog. For additional coverage, please see Mark's Hurricane Rita visual timeline.
 

Adopt-A-Tide

Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise

Shon Hodgkinson, local coordinator for the Texas General Land Office, (left) watches as Vickie Cleveland, event specialist for Clear Channel Radio, makes photos of the wreckage on McFaddin Beach outside Sea Rim State Park on Saturday, April 29, 2006. The scheduled Adopt-A-Beach Spring Cleanup was postponed after inclement weather and an unusually high tide damaged the meeting area and submerged equipment.

Highway 87

Texas Highway 87 once connected Port Arthur to High Island and the Bolivar Peninsula through the McFaddin Wildlife Sanctuary. It allowed motorist to cruise between endless Texas shorelines and pristine salt marshes. Previous storm damage destroyed the road.

Consequently, the road was closed and motorists were forced to travel many miles around the obstacle. The area's protected status has made reconstruction progress slow. Hurricane Rita only aggravated efforts to rebuild the road. Solutions are being considered, but the road remains impassable.


Photos by Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise

The asphalt is washed away near the end of Highway 87 in the McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge area near Sea Rim Park on Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2005.


(Left) An officer with the oil spill division of the Texas General Land Office surveys the area beyond the end of Highway 87 in the McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge area near Sea Rim Park.

(Below) Exposed sand socks are washed with the tides near a washed-out dune near the end of Highway 87 in the McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge area near Sea Rim Park.





(Left) A sea shell and chunk of asphalt from Highway 87 coexist on the beach in the McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge area near Sea Rim Park.

(Below) Pieces of Highway 87 mix in the sand in High Island.





A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officer patrols the beach near the former Highway 87 route in High Island.
 

Sabine Pass

Of everything I've seen so far, Sabine Pass was the hardest hit. It got the brunt of Hurricane Rita's winds and storm surge. Much of the town is destroyed and more homes are damaged beyond repair and will be removed.


Photos by Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise

(Above) The Sabine Pass Post Office remains destroyed in Sabine Pass on Saturday, Oct. 8, 2005. The orange spray paint indicates the building has been searched for survivors. Hurricane Rita came ashore with category three winds and a storm surge near the pass on Sept. 24, 2005.


(Above and below) Ships on Fisherman's Wharf in Sabine Pass remain stacked on one another and tangled together.




(Above) Shrimping ships on Fisherman's Wharf in Sabine Pass remain smashed into one another.

(Below) A home and its contents remain destroyed in Sabine Pass. The storm surge slammed into the walls of homes and left the roof to collapse.




(Above) A home and its contents remains destroyed in Sabine Pass. The pink notice indicates the home has been deemed uninhabitable.

(Below) John Jamroz (left) and Mike Guillot (right) remove part of a tree at the Welch Homestead in Sabine Pass. Insurance adjusters deemed the homestead a complete loss. It will be demolished. The boat in the yard belongs to a neighbor whose home was several blocks away.



Please read more about Sabine Pass' historic past during the Civil War.

The smell of the wild

(Left) The pungent corpses of Gulf menhaden fish, also called commercial pogy, rot in the sunlight along a one-mile stretch of Sea Rim Park on Wednesday, August 10, 2005. Authorities said a commercial fishing net broke and spilled several hundred tons of the fish.

(Below) The shell of a crab lays atop a pile of Gulf menhaden fish. The fish have washed ashore since Saturday.

Photos by Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise

(Right) Gulls pick through the scraps of rotting Gulf menhaden fish near a sun bather. The fish are used in fertilizer, cat food and some cosmetics for their strong oil. The fish pose no environmental danger or danger to humans.

If the muddy water, black seaweed infestation, bull sharks and alligators weren't enough of a deterant for vacationers, here's one more to add to the list. However, Sea Rim Park always has something new to see. :-)

Shark hunters

Andrew Deudley of Lumberton breaks through a wave as he uses a kayak to drop bait as he tries to catch sharks at McFaddin Beach west of Sea Rim State Park along the Gulf Coast on Wednesday, July 6, 2005.

Photos by Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise



(Above) Deudley prepares bait to catch sharks at McFaddin Beach. As many as a half dozen bull sharks have been spotted together along parts of the Southeast Texas coast.

(Below) Deudley removes the remainder of his bait after it had been hit while he tried to catch sharks at McFaddin Beach. One bull shark, was seen in less than 10 inches of water and only 20 feet from shore.


Big Sabine Lake Guide Service captain Buzz Corder of Beaumont (left) and his brother-in-law Dana Tatum of Atlanta (right) look for sharks at McFaddin Beach. Corder said bull sharks are extremely aggressive and territorial.

Bull sharks (Carcharhinus leucas) can also penetrate far up freshwater rivers. Bull shark have been recorded thousands of miles up African and South American rivers.


(Above) Andrea Primo (center) of Groves keeps close to her daughter Maisy, 5, (left) and son Gage, 2, (right) at Sea Rim Park along the Gulf Coast. Shark and alligator warnings are posted and have been observed at the park.

(Below) A sand tiger shark swims at the Moody Gardens Aquarium in Galveston. Although all sharks are cold-blooded fish, great white sharks and eight other species are capable of raising their body temperature to hunt for larger food sources in colder waters. Consequently, they are unlikely to hunt in the warm waters immediately off the Texas coast.


© Mark M. Hancock


(Above) Whitney Hensarling, 17, (left) talks about how the shark attack in the Gulf of Mexico near the beach in Port Bolivar ruined her vacation swimming plans. She and Jeni McCollister, 15; (from left to right) Jarod Hensarling, 14; Josh Hensarling, 8; and Levi Walling, 14, were playing along the beach because they were not allowed to swim in the waters where this week's shark attack happened.

Lydia Paulk, 14, of North Carolina was bitten on her foot by a shark a few feet from where the youths played. She was taken to the University of Texas Meical Branch in Galveston and was listed in fair condition. Hers was the first shark attack off the Texas coast this year.

To learn more about sharks, please visit the Fox Shark Research Foundation's Web site.

video by Mark M. Hancock / NewsEagles.com

Please see the video slideshow