Rockport Hurricane Grave Advice: Mark Arm With Sharpie Before You Die

ROCKPORT, TX — After a mandatory evacuation was ordered in Rockport, Texas, prior to Hurricane Harvey, city officials told those who refused the order and decided to stay in the path of the powerful Category 4 storm were told to write their name and social security on their arms in permanent marker so their corpses could be identified.

“Get out now,” said Rockport Mayor Pro-tem Patrick Rios prior to the storm. “Those that are going to stay, it’s unfortunate but they should make some type of preparations. Mark their arm with a Sharpie pen. Put their social security number on it and their name.”

County officials told KIII TV in Corpus Christi that an estimated 40 percent of the town of about 9,500 decided to stay and not heed evacuation advice.

“We’ve got first responders available, but once it gets bad, we are not going to put their lives in jeopardy. They will not get help. We will not be dispatching folks that decided to stay,” said Rios.

Rios said the city anticipated 10 fatalities before the storm. Rockport and Aransas County officials haven’t begun going through the wreckage yet, and no fatalities have been reported.

Rockport City Manager Keith Carruth said the roof collapsed at a senior housing complex, and that multiple people were transported to the local jail for assessment and treatment.

Telling residents to mark their names and socials on their arms with a permanent marker isn’t anything new. During a FEMA hurricane preparedness meeting in Hardin County on June 1, in southeast Texas, three different people recommended the same scare tactic to help change the minds of residents who might refuse evacuation orders.

Photo by Scott McDonald/Patch.com