Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

December 2, 2008 9:01:10 PM CST

Learn about Newser Points »

« Back to the grid | Next story »

Ike's Message: Don't Build on Sandbars

Posted Sep 14, 08 3:37 PM CDT in US 

(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."

Source LiveScience

0 comments | Print E-mail | Digg Seed this on Newsvine Add this link to Del.icio.us StumbleUpon

Related Newser Stories

  • Ex-Presidents Call for More Ike Funds

    Oct 14, 08 4:50 PM CDT
    Ex-Presidents Call for More Ike Funds Former presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton called today for more money to aid Texas communities devastated by Hurricane Ike, the Houston Chronicle reports. The pair, who toured the Galveston area, has raised $1.5 million for their Bush-Clinton Coastal Recovery Fund. The money will be used to augment state and local efforts once reconstruction begins. More »

  • Ike Returnees Battle Chronic Mold Outbreak

    Sep 30, 08 3:37 PM CDT
    Ike Returnees Battle Chronic Mold Outbreak Initial relief that their Texas property survived Hurricane Ike quickly dissipated for many returning to Galveston Island who discovered colorful mold breeding wildly on virtually everything left standing. Damp, hot buildings were left sealed for two weeks when residents evacuated, giving the fungus plenty of time to nestle into the foundations and create a health nightmare, the Houston Chronicle reports. More »

  • Evacuees Return to Battered Galveston

    Sep 24, 08 2:31 PM CDT
    Evacuees Return to Battered Galveston 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 »

  • Officials: Texas Needs $40B From Feds for Ike Cleanup

    Sep 23, 08 4:05 PM CDT
    Officials: Texas Needs $40B From Feds for Ike Cleanup Texas officials told Congress today they might need up to $40 billion in aid to rebuild the state's hurricane-hit areas, the Houston Chronicle reports. The state's lieutenant governor sought at least $11.5 billion of aid and as many trailer homes as available to help the 770 communities damaged by Hurricane Ike. Houston's mayor requested an immediate $2.5 billion injection to help his metropolis. More »

  • Ike Evacuees Sneak Back Into Galveston

    Sep 20, 08 8:04 PM CDT
    Ike Evacuees Sneak Back Into Galveston Rats, raw sewage, and a no-excuses curfew await exiled residents who try to return to Texas' storm-wrecked Galveston Island when it reopens next week, officials warned today. But that didn't keep some of the 45,000 evacuated islanders from trying to get home. Some ignored orders to turn around outside the city, while others resorted to deception to sneak past police guarding a roadblock. More »

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
Our editors also recommend:

Threads (
1
 of 3)

Tags

Hurricane Ike • natural disaster • flooding • Galveston • island


Loading...

Premium Articles from HighBeam

Find more articles like this

Today's Most Popular

Loading...

Other US Stories

What is Newser?

2008 Codie Finalist

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser a team of editors and writers culls the most important stories from hundreds of U.S. and international sources and reduces them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. It's the Newser guarantee: we can take any report or column or video and pack what you need to know into 120 words or less. Newser's short-form aggregation, visual format, and unique information tools help you get more of the kind of news you want, in a quicker and more entertaining way. 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 »