Ike's Message: Don't Build on Sandbars

The costs of living seaside on a barrier island can be huge

By Katherine Thompson, Newser Staff

Posted Sep 14, 2008 3:37 PM CDT

(Newser) – The barrier islands along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts entice inhabitants with their balmy beachfronts, but prove an equal draw for often devastating tropical storms. As Hurricane Ike's path of destruction across Galveston Island shows, building houses on what amounts to an oversized sandbar can be a critical mistake—though one that is becoming more and more common, reports LiveScience.

Barrier islands protect mainland beaches from the worst of the ocean's ravages, but that means bearing the brunt of storms and waves themselves. These fast-evolving pieces of land lack bedrock, which means big enough storms can literally wipe them off the map. But though it's foolish to build in such places, says a geologist, "people are going to do it anyway."

[Images (3)]

[Quotes (2)]

A home sits in the Gulf of Mexico Saturday, Sept. 13, 2008 in Galveston, Texas after Hurricane Ike hit the area. Galveston, with no bedrock beneath its soil, is essentially just a sandbar. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, Pool)

A home is surrounded by floodwaters Saturday, Sept. 13, 2008 in Galveston, Texas after Hurricane Ike hit the area. (AP Photo)

Fragile barrier islands such as Tybee Island, formed by centuries of sand and sediment deposits along the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf coastlines, have taken a beating from storms. (AP Photo/Stephen Morton)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

Every year there's reporting on the foolishness of building on barrier islands, but people are going to do it anyway. We don't learn from the past. - Bob Morton, a geologist for the US Geological Survey

The lifespan of a typical house is something like 60 years. But if you live on a barrier island, you can't guarantee you'll have land under your house in 60 years. - Clark Alexander, a marine geologist at the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

Evacuees Return to Battered Galveston

Damage varies widely in Texas town hit by Ike

(NEWSER) - Heaps of furniture and electronics lined Galveston's streets as evacuees returned to the Texan island to salvage their belongings, the Galveston County Daily News reports. Some were spared from Hurricane Ike’s wrath altogether, while others discovered their homes completely flattened. In the city's central housing projects, first-floor residents found dead pets in courtyards that were submerged under 8 feet of water during the storm. More»

Galveston Resort Turns Into Storm Central

500 to 800 souls took refuge at a convention center in Galveston during Ike's assault

(NEWSER) - A motley crew rode out Hurricane Ike at Galveston’s San Luis Resort, Spa, & Conference Center, Joel Achenbach writes for the Washington Post. Up to 800 people were there, among them the mayor, cops and firefighters, along with storm chasers and drenched refugees holed up as the wind roared and TV newscasts forecast doom. “I am afraid we may be in danger. I am afraid for everyone here,” one mother wrote in her journal. More»

Ike Now Category 1, But Still Dangerous

(NEWSER) - Galveston’s historic district is under 7 feet of water, and 4 million Houston area residents are without power after Hurricane Ike’s rampage through the region. Ike, which hit Galveston as a Category 2 hurricane, has since been downgraded to a Category 1, CNN reports. Officials warned that the storm will retain hurricane force through this afternoon. More»

It's Too Late to Flee Texas, Officials Warn

Ike may become Category 3 storm before landfall

(NEWSER) - Officials in Houston and Galveston warned residents to stay put tonight as Hurricane Ike threatened to become a Category 3 storm, CNN reports. “If someone has not left the island by now, they need to go get inside and stay there,” the mayor of Galveston said. Nearly a quarter million Texas residents have opted to stay despite warnings that Ike may be the worst storm to hit the state in 50 years, MSNBC reports. More»

400+ Dead in Philippines Flood

Many were caught sleeping

(AP) - Pounding rain from a tropical storm swelled rivers and sent walls of water crushing into two southern Philippine cities in the thick of night, killing at least 436 people, many caught in their beds, officials said today. The Philippine Red Cross says the latest toll was based on a body count in funeral parlors. Of those, 215 died in Cagayan de Oro and 144 in nearby Iligan, and the rest in several other southern and central provinces. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

Ike's Message: Don't Build on Sandbars