Hurricane Ike News

Major Texas Storm Surge Project Included in Defense Bill

Fourteen years after Hurricane Ike ripped through thousands of homes and businesses near Galveston, Texas — but mostly spared the region’s oil refineries and chemical plants — Congress has authorized the most expensive project ever recommended by the U.S. Army …

House Advances Texas Storm Surge Project in Water Bill

HOUSTON (AP) _ Fourteen years after Hurricane Ike ripped through thousands of homes and businesses near Galveston, Texas _ but mostly spared the region’s oil refineries and chemical plants _ the U.S. House of Representatives voted Thursday to authorize the …

Fire Station in Texas Latest Recovery From Hurricane Ike

Galveston, Texas has a new main fire station as recovery continues since Hurricane Ike swamped parts of the city in 2008. The Galveston County Daily News reports the $9.6 million Fire Station No. 1 was one of the last large …

Researchers Raise Concerns About Texas Coastal Barrier Plan

Rice University researchers are concerned about the Army Corps of Engineers and the Texas General Land Office’s preferred $31 billion proposal to protect the Houston-Galveston region from devastating storm surge. A group of Rice professors plan to raise questions about …

Army Corps, Texas Officials Propose Sweeping Hurricane Protection Plan

Following years of research, studies and public debate, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers — in partnership with the state’s General Land Office — has recommended a multi-billion-dollar project that would protect the Houston area and its massive industrial complex …

Galveston Struggling to Rebuild Housing 10 Years After Hurricane Ike

Galveston hasn’t done enough to rebuild public housing that was destroyed by Hurricane Ike a decade ago, public housing advocates say. Fewer than half of the island city’s 569 public housing units have been rebuilt since the 2008 hurricane, The …

Army Corps Preparing its Own Hurricane Protection Plan for Houston

Later this month, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will recommend a multi-billion-dollar plan to help protect the Texas coast — the Houston area in particular — from hurricanes. When it will become a reality, however, is anyone’s guess. The …

Houston Eyeing Designer Bonds to Pay for $15B Ike Dike

A massive dike to hold back storm-driven floods surging in from the Gulf of Mexico was first proposed after Hurricane Ike devastated the Houston-area coast a decade ago. Last year’s Hurricane Harvey disaster brought fresh enthusiasm for the languishing project …

Report: Texas Failing to Enforce Flood Insurance Rules

Texas officials are struggling to enforce part of a flood insurance program that aims to elevate or remove severely damaged properties from flood plains, according to a newspaper investigation. The Houston Chronicle analyzed more than 36,000 insurance claims of properties …

Research on Coastal Housing Shows Gaps in Natural Disaster Recovery Policies

A team including an Iowa State University researcher studied Galveston, Texas, homes following Hurricane Ike, finding that the types of housing and homeowners – and how U.S. recovery policy handles each – played a major role in recovery outcomes. Sara …