GALVESTON, Texas – While a majority of Houston seems to have avoided the wrath of Tropical Storm Alberto, Galveston residents experienced significantly elevated water levels as well as some flooding during the initial phases of the storm.
As a coastal city, Galveston is no stranger to floods. Most notably, Hurricane Ike caused over $30 billion in damages in 2008. While the city hasn’t been hit quite as hard since then, some experts estimate that it’s likely to be hit by a major hurricane every 15 years.
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With the potential of more serious storms on the horizon, let’s take a look back at one of the more unique solutions to the floods that continue to plague the region.
For multiple years now, experts have been working on an ambitious project aimed at sheltering Galveston residents from severe weather: the “Ike Dike.”
The Ike Dike was originally envisioned by Dr. William Merrell, a Texas A&M Galveston professor who teaches marine and coastal environmental science.
After witnessing the devastation left behind by Hurricane Ike, Merrell was inspired by floodgate systems in the Netherlands, and got to work drawing up a similar system for the Galveston area.
Merrell’s original plan for the “Ike Dike” involved a “coastal spine” made up of a lengthy wall and several flood gates placed at various key points in Galveston Bay.
During calm days, these gates would be left open for normal ship traffic to pass through. But during inclement weather events, they could be closed to prevent flood waters from rushing into the city.
But while the project might sound great in theory, progress on it over the years has been slow for multiple reasons.
Merrell’s original plan for the project was eventually picked up by the US Army Corps of Engineers, which scaled it down somewhat due to funding issues.
This scaled-down version was adapted into a plan that was eventually approved in the US House in June of 2022 and the US Senate in July of 2022.
However, the project was estimated to cost upwards of $57 billion, and as of September 2023, Congress still had not appropriated any funds towards it.
Finally, in May of this year, the US Army Corps of Engineers officially secured the first $500,000 of funding, marking an official start to the project.
But while funding has started trickling in, the process of raising the remaining funds is likely to be an uphill battle, with billions of dollars still needed to complete the project.
Even if funds are successfully secured, the project is likely to take several decades to complete.
Can the Ike Dike be completed before another major storm hits, or are Galveston residents likely to be left “high and dry”, so to speak? Only time will tell.