Rockport baby evacuated to SA NICU, family loses home in hurricane

13 babies brought to SA from Corpus Christi to avoid storm

SAN ANTONIO – A young couple from Rockport welcomed a new baby boy last week, and then lost everything they own in Hurricane Harvey days later.

Now, their son is in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the Children's Hospital of San Antonio.

He was one of 13 babies brought to San Antonio to escape the storm.

“There's not many words to describe how I feel,” new dad Joshua Dennison said. “Only that it’s nature.”

Justin Aron Dennison was born in Corpus Christi on Aug. 22, at just 4 pounds and 1 ounce.

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Less than 72 hours after he was born, Harvey would soon destroy the place he would have called home.

“The only thing that was left of our house was a little portion of the fence and the staircase,” Dennison said.

“It is kind of overwhelming to think that the home that we had set up for him is all gone,” mom Crystal Bean said. “But at least he is alive and healthy.”

Their son's health is improving. He is now their greatest comfort and sole focus. As for what lies ahead when they return home, is their biggest uncertainty.

“You don’t want to plan a new life. No one wants to rebuild. Everybody wants it kept the way it was,” Dennison said. “The hurricane took that from us, forcibly.”

Like many, they will rebuild and they plan to help their neighbors do the same. Hoping to pass on the same community spirit and kindness they say has already been shown to them.

“It’s really heartwarming to know that people care in all this disaster,” Bean said. “It really brings me peace.”


About the Authors:

Myra Arthur is passionate about San Antonio and sharing its stories. She graduated high school in the Alamo City and always wanted to anchor and report in her hometown. Myra anchors KSAT News at 6:00 p.m. and hosts and reports for the streaming show, KSAT Explains. She joined KSAT in 2012 after anchoring and reporting in Waco and Corpus Christi.