Galveston Since Ike
-
9/13/2011
Hurricane Ike struck Galveston on Sept. 13, 2008, not a particularly windy hurricane, but it was so huge and pushed so much water into the bay system, after the eye passed over all the water was pushed back onto the island from the north side. The south side of the island is protected from the Gulf of Mexico by a 17 foot tall seawall.
Ike flooded low-lying areas of the island with water 13 feet above sea level. Portions of the island with a base flood elevation of 11 were inundated. The end result was lots of flood damage to possible 75% of the structures on the island.
Many people left. Some will never come back. Galveston will never be what it was before Ike. Some people see that as an opportunity to fix some of what was wrong with the island. Infrastructure will be hardened, the island less likely to lose it's water supply, etc. The Medical School will be massively renovated and partially replaced, to the tune of over a billion dollars in construction.
2011 was one of the island's best tourist seasons ever, and Carnival and Disney have plans to expand the cruise business in the city.
Living a few blocks from the beach with lots of great restaurants and entertainment venues is great. Hurricanes, not so much. Having said that, most people will live though only a few of these storms. Old timers remember Carla, Alicia and Ike in 1961, 1983 and 2008. Rita in 2005 was a big exercise in how not to evacuate for a storm that's not coming. More people died in the evacuation than from the storm. So including Carla in '61 until 2011, a period of 50 years, there have been three major hurricanes. Personally, I'd rather deal with hurricanes than wildfires or earthquakes.
So here's my two cents worth regarding Galveston: one of the world's greatest cities in the late 1800's, now a somewhat worn and in places shabby beachfront town. Public schools are improving to the point of being above average - but smart kids can thrive here. Galveston College and branches of both the UT and A&M systems - so lots of higher education opportunities. Friendly, small town atmosphere. Poverty, crime, homelessness like a "real city", so lots of problems to work on and issues to resolve. Galveston has a lot going for it, but it can be better.
If you want a nice, small city to live in, with plenty to see and do, and you want to make a difference with your life, Galveston might be your kind of place.
Michael | Galveston, TX