AUSTIN (KXAN) – Hurricanes are some of the most powerful storms on Earth. Although they occur naturally, climate change is exacerbating the strength of these tropical systems, adding “fuel” to the fire. In defense, humans have attempted to build barriers to protect life and property from such storms.
Below are a few examples:
The Galveston Seawall
The Galveston Seawall – After the deadliest hurricane in recorded history, the 1900 Galveston Storm, the Texas State Legislature approved an act for the construction of a seawall on September 7, 1901. The initial segment of the Seawall was made of concrete, ran just over 3 miles long, had a base width of 16 feet and a top width of 5 feet, standing 17 feet high. The side of the wall facing the Gulf was curved to carry waves up and fold back on themself. The first part of the wall was completed on July 29, 1904, for $1.6 million.
The wall proved effective during the hurricane of September 21, 1909, and August 16, 1915. Additional segments were added in 1905, 1927, and 1963.
The wall currently spans over 10 miles along the Gulf Coast of Texas.
The Ike Dike
After a 15-20 ft storm surge brought in by Hurricane Ike (Sept. 2008) devastated parts of the Texas Coast, a Texas A&M University professor conceived a project that would follow the existing protection the Galveston Seawall gives along the rest of the Island and Bolivar Peninsula. The Ike Dike would be a series of seawalls and raised highways along the beach with added surge gates at Bolivar Roads, the entrance to the Houston, Texas City, and Galveston ship channels, and at San Luis Pass. There would also be sand-covered dunes with hardened cores. This 70-mile stretch would provide a barrier between the Gulf and the Houston-Galveston area.
Cost estimates range between $4 billion and $50+ billion, with a construction time of 2 years. Most of the cost would be footed by the federal government, but among other reasons, funding challenges, both federally and locally, have held up construction.
New Orleans Levees
Founded by the French in the early 1700s, a series of drainage canals and pumps were built in and around New Orleans in the early 1900s to keep water out of the city and funnel it towards Lake Pontchartrain. Most of the levee system and floodwalls were designed and constructed after Category 4 Hurricane Betsy made landfall in 1965. The levees were built to withstand surges brought in by storms up to Category 3 strength.
The levee system protecting New Orleans consists of over 350 miles of levees. After levees were breached during Category 3 Hurricane Katrina, over 100 miles of levees were reinforced and restrengthened.
Other defenses
Another more localized defense against floods and storm surge is individual, deployable flood barriers called ‘AquaFences’. These reusable panels are filled with water and self-stabilized, typically used to protect hospitals, large businesses, etc. First coming onto the market in 1999, AquaFence has become popular in coastal regions.
Sandbags, culverts, artificial reefs, canals, and even, locally speaking, a system of man-made lakes are all examples of flood mitigation systems.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
