RICE DIKE AND IKE DIKE ARE RIVALS NO MORE, AND HAS BACKED OFF THE PROPOSAL
OF A 20-MILE 25 FOOT LEVEE ALONG SH 146 THAT WOULD HAVE HELPED DESTROYED OUR
BAYSIDE COMMUNITIES
What will protect us from the next surge?
By Harvey Rice | May 30, 2013 | Updated: May 30, 2013 6:35am A house is
engulfed in flames as water and waves inundate homes on Galveston Island as
Hurricane Ike approaches the coast Sept. 12, 2008. Photo: Smiley N. Pool, Staff
/ Houston Chronicle
1 of 1 A house is engulfed in flames as water and waves inundate homes on
Galveston Island as Hurricane Ike approaches the coast Sept. 12, 2008. Photo:
Smiley N. Pool, Staff / Houston Chronicle Photo: Mayra Beltran, Houston
Chronicle
The destruction wrought by Hurricane Ike in 2008 focused attention on the
need for storm surge protection for the Galveston-Houston area. Researchers at
Rice University found that had Ike struck slightly farther west on Galveston
Island, it would have inundated scores of chemical plants and refineries. Ike
would have shut down the source of 40 percent of the nation's jet fuel, 27
percent of its gasoline and 42 percent of its chemical feed stocks.
To protect industry and residents from another Ike, or worse, several
storm-surge protection efforts are underway, including the well-known Ike Dike
concept.
Funds from state
The Gulf Coast Community Protection and Recovery District, created in 2010,
is on the verge of securing $3 million to $4 million from the state to complete
its study, said Galveston County Judge Mark Henry, district chairman.
Galveston County commissioners agreed to accept the money. The other
participating counties - Harris, Brazoria, Chambers, Jefferson and Orange - must
approve before Henry can call a meeting to get the study underway.
Other efforts, meanwhile, are gaining momentum.
The Ike Dike concept developed by Bill Merrell, a marine sciences professor
at Texas A&M Galveston, envisions a system of levees and gates spanning
Galveston Island and the Bolivar Peninsula. It has the backing of eight cities
in Galveston County, said Bob Mitchell, president of the Bay Area Houston
Economic Partnership.
The partnership in March began raising the $1.5 million needed to complete
studies to convince Congress that the Ike Dike is practical and can be completed
in two years for $4 billion to $6 billion.
Mitchell said the partnership has raised about $700,000 for the studies and
expects to raise the balance by July.
Several studies are underway, including storm modeling at Jackson State
University in Jackson, Miss. Scientists at Delf University, The Netherlands, and
Texas A&M Galveston are working on storm barrier design studies, Merrell
said.
Landscape architects are working on ways to meld the storm barrier into the
landscape and turn it into recreational areas.
Rivals no more
Once considered a competing proposal to the Ike Dike, a scheme by the
Severe Storm Prediction, Education and Evacuation from Disasters Center, known
as the SSPEED Center, at Rice University is now being put forward as
complementary to its onetime rival.
Jim Blackburn, a center member and environmental law professor at Rice,
said a storm surge gate at the Hartmann bridge can be built quickly for $1
billion to protect the chemical plants and other industry near the Houston Ship
Channel.
"We believe it should be built rapidly and does not interfere with the
project for the Ike Dike and other efforts," Blackburn said.
Because of a lack of local support, the center is backing off proposals for
a 20-mile levee along Texas 146 to protect the Clear Lake area and a levee
extending from the Galveston Seawall to encircle the city's urban core,
Blackburn said.
Progress is also being made on a proposal by the Rice center to create the
Lone Star Coastal National Recreation Area to foster a tourism-based economy
that can bounce back after a storm. Houston businessman John Nau is heading the
effort to gather support for the 130-mile long area spanning the coasts of
Matagorda, Brazoria, Galveston and Chambers counties.
RICE DIKE AND IKE DIKE ARE RIVALS NO MORE, AND HAS BACKED OFF THE PROPOSAL
OF A 20-MILE 25 FOOT LEVEE ALONG SH 146 THAT WOULD HAVE HELPED DESTROYED OUR
BAYSIDE COMMUNITIES
re-IKE DIKE PROPOSED BY RICE UNIVERSITY hangs our Bayshore communities out
to dry, IN 25 FEET OF WATER, to make way for WATERFRONT RECREATION $$$
GREAT NEWS NEIGHBORS OF SUNNY SAN LEON, BACLIFF, BAYVIEW, KEMAH, SEABROOK,
AND LA PORTE, TEXAS. Apparently we spoke, and they listened. If you all remember
correctly, back when all this first broke around October 2012, my old buddy Dear
Steve and myself got to nosing around after we got wind of this proposed seawall
along SH 146 that would have been a backstop to any flood surge that came
through, and would have wiped us all out east of SH 146, to make way for
Recreation Areas for boating, swimming, fishing, hotels, casino’s and such,
where our homes were to have once stood. The Rice dike plan even had a drawing
of this area east of SH 146, showing our homes literally gone, and in place of
our homes, was instead a waterfront recreational area, put into place where our
homes once stood, all the while protecting the high end folks west of the
railroad tracks on SH 146 and the surround Clear Lake area, just to
manufacturing a high end water park for the rich to play in, on our properties.
some folks call it taking ‘by eminent domain’, I call it stealing.
see RICE DIKE proposal draw the bayside communities right out of the
picture on page 11 of 16 in the Learning the Lessons of Hurricane Ike: Preparing
for the Next Big One SSSPPEED ;
SO THEN, I wrote to Dr. Merrell concerned about all this ;
===============================================
From: Terry S. Singeltary Sr.
Sent: Tuesday, October 09, 2012 5:30 PM
To: William Merrell
Cc: Cherie Coffman
Subject: Re: Ike Dike question ?
fantastic! thank you for your kind reply Sir, and explanation for the
layperson such as me. many thanks, I like your proposal much, much, better Sir,
considering my backyard is Galveston Bay here in Bacliff, 77518 shoreline. with
that rice university plan, the shorelines from Kemah to San Leon and property
values there from would tank and the next big one, we would all be marsh land.
course, it would not matter much anyway, because that big toxic dredge island I
have to look at everyday now, you know the one they propose to double in size
now, well all that would be in our houses. ...what were they thinking. ...thanks
again.
with kindest regards,
terry
========================================
From: William Merrell
Sent: Tuesday, October 09, 2012 5:08 PM
To: Terry S. Singeltary Sr.
Cc: Cherie Coffman
Subject: RE: Ike Dike question ?
Again - the Dike you describe is proposed by Rice University. It has
nothing whatsoever to do with the Ike Dike. The Ike Dike protects everyone in
the Bay because it is along the coast. You can verify this and learn the details
of the Ike Dike by going to our website
http://www.tamug.edu/ikedike/
==============================================
From: Terry S. Singeltary Sr. [mailto:flounder9@verizon.net]
Sent: Tuesday, October 09, 2012 5:00 PM
To: William Merrell
Cc: Cherie Coffman
Subject: Re: Ike Dike question ?
Greetings again Dr. Merrell,
Sir, I had a question.
I did not have any ideas, other than the fact, I am concerned and confused
on one of rumored proposals of Ike Dike, and we wanted to know the truth, and I
was told, you were the person to go to, and my question was as follows ;
i heard that one of the potential designs for the ike dike, would have
everyone living south of the Kemah bridge on hwy 146, and everyone east of hwy
146 there from, i.e. Kemah, Bayview, Bacliff, and San Leon, all these fishing
communities would be EAST OF SAID IKE DIKE, as the said IKE DIKE would be built
west of hwy 146, thus leaving everyone east of 146 to be left for marsh land, as
any hurricane after said IKE DIKE built would leave these fishing communities as
marsh lands due to any IKE DIKE built west of hwy 146, is any of this true?
is there any proposal on the table to eliminate the Kemah, Bayview,
Bacliff, and San Leon shore lines from the Ike Dike?
is the scenario of said rumor, I proposed above, is this one of the
proposals?
as home owners, property owners, and business owners, we are concerned, and
we have a right to know if this is a proposal or not?
a simple yes or no answer will do. ...
thank you,
kind regards,
terry
====================================
From: William Merrell
Sent: Tuesday, October 09, 2012 4:38 PM
To: Terry S. Singeltary Sr.
Cc: Cherie Coffman
Subject: RE: Ike Dike question ?
The 146 dike is proposed by the SSPEED Center at Rice. I agree with your
ideas on it. The Ike Dike is a coastal spine which would protect everyone.
Details on website
http://www.tamug.edu/ikedike/ Best
regards, Bill
William Merrell
George P Mitchell Chair
Texas A&M University at Galveston
Po Box 1675
Galveston, Texas 77553-1675
409-740-4732 work
409-740-4787 fax
================================================
From: Terry S. Singeltary Sr. [mailto:flounder9@verizon.net]
Sent: Tuesday, October 09, 2012 12:50 PM
To: William Merrell
Subject: Ike Dike question ?
Greetings Dr. Merrell,
I am a bit concerned and confused, and hoping you might be able to help
straighten out any confusion on the IKE DIKE.
i heard that one of the potential designs for the ike dike, would have
everyone living south of the Kemah bridge on hwy 146, and everyone east of hwy
146 there from, i.e. Kemah, Bayview, Bacliff, and San Leon, all these fishing
communities would be EAST OF SAID IKE DIKE, as the said IKE DIKE would be built
west of hwy 146, thus leaving everyone east of 146 to be left for marsh land, as
any hurricane after said IKE DIKE built would leave these fishing communities as
marsh lands due to any IKE DIKE built west of hwy 146.
is any of this true ?
can you please show me where all the said potential designs and drawings
might be for the public to view on any said IKE DIKE ?
thank you,
kindest regards,
terry
===============================================
Then, Dear Steve et al at the Seabreeze held a community meeting down in
San Leon, where Dr. Merrell et al came down to speak about the TEXAS AM Ike Dike
sometimes in January 2012, and then Dear Steve and myself both voiced our
concerns with Jim Blackburn via the Galveston Bay foundation et al.
please see today’s Sunday Houston Chronicle June 2, 2013, Hurricane guide
magazine section, page X3, under RIVALS NO MORE ; Thank God, the proposed part
of the infamous RICE DIKE, that would have built a 25 foot levee along SH 146,
has been withdrawn from said proposal. SNIP... Once considered a competing
proposal to the Ike Dike, a scheme by the Severe Storm Prediction Education and
Evacuation from Disasters Center, known as the SSPEED Center, at Rice University
is now being put forward as complementary to it’s onetime rival.
Jim Blackburn, a center member and environmental law professor at Rise,
said a storm surge gate at the Hartmann bridge can be built quickly for $1
billion to protect the chemical plants and other industry near the Houston Ship
Channel.
“We believe it should be built rapidly and does not interfere with the
project for the Ike Dike and other efforts,” Blackburn said.
Because of a lack of local support, the center is BACKING OFF PROPOSALS FOR
A 20-MILE LEVEE ALONG TEXAS 146 TO PROTECT THE CLEAR LAKE AREA, and a levee
extending from the Galveston Seawall to encircle the city’s urban core,
Blackburn said.
end...TSS
The Seabreeze
June 7, 2013
We Spoke, They Listened ...
It's a little early to pop champagne corks, but it looks like there are no
longer two competing plans to protect the Galveston Bay area from massive storm
surge in the next major hurricane.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Ike, which struck here nearly five years ago,
there has been a lot of research done to find ways to minimize the damage that
will occur the next time a large storm strikes.
Much of that research was carried out at Rice University's Severe Storm
Prediction, Education and Evacuation from Disasters Center, known as the SSPEED
Center.
The experts at Rice concluded that as bad as Ike was, it could have been
much worse. According to their measurements, if the storm had struck just a
couple of miles west of where it did, there would have been flooding at
refineries which would have shut off over 40% of the US supplies of jet fuel and
chemical feed stocks. Over one-quarter of the nations gasoline supply would have
also been shut down for a significant period of time.
As we reported in previous issues of the Seabreeze, the experts at Rice
University proposed building a dike that would have run for 20 miles down
Highway 146. That proposal would have effectively sacrificed the Bayside
communities to any hurricane, while protecting those west of Highway 146. The
plan called for a levee- 25 feet high which would protect the Clear Lake area
and League City. The study presumed that after a major storm erased the
communities of San Leon, Bacliff, etc., the land where we live could be turned
into a huge recreational area. Waterparks, hotels, and other commercial ventures
would operate where our communities had been destroyed.
Of course, that idea didn't set well with the locals. There was so much
anger and opposition to the idea, that Rice has now backed down from that
proposal and come up with a different idea.
The new plan would call for building a huge storm gate at the Fred Hartmann
Bridge to protect the refineries and the Port from storm surge. According to Jim
Blackburn, an environmental law professor at Rice, the gate system could be
built for about $1 billion. The new plan omits any mention of a dike extending
down Highway 146. "We believe it should be built rapidly and does dot interfere
with the project for the Ike Dike and other efforts," Blackburn said.
So, the Rice crew has listened to locals like Terry Singeltary (who-has
given them no rest) and numerous citizens who expressed their outrage at the
plan. They have abandoned the idea of letting our towns be wiped out. Mr.
Singeltary and our editor, Steve Hoyland worked together to publicize the plans
and rally citizens to make their voices heard.
The SSPEED Center and Blackburn are still pushing for a huge recreational
area to be created. What they have in mind is an enormous Iand-grab that would
encompass a half-million acres of coastal land. According to their final report,
"A concept that emerged involved rethinking and perhaps redefining the coastal
economy to capitalize on the recreational and economic value of these low-lying
lands."
The report goes on to say that "A survey of this area revealed that some of
the best bird-watching and coastal kayaking in the United States exists within
the low-lying areas of the upper Texas Coast." So, the plan is to displace the
existing economy and people, and replace them with bird-watchers and kayakers.
Really? The eggheads are "rethinking and redefining" our coastal economy for the
benefit of kayak jockeys and birds? I find that disturbing.
The conclusion of the SSPEED report is that "What is lacking is an
institutional and governmental framework to organize the latent economic
potential of these low-lying areas. As such, the SSPEED Center is proposing to
create a recreational area of such importance that it would be worthy of
national recognition." The proposed recreational area would take in most of
Bolivar Peninsula.zhe Texas -City Prairie, and-coastal areas extending as far
south as Lake Jackson and Freeport.
However, the good news is that the Rice group is no longer proposing to
sacrifice the Bayside communities to the rain gods. There are no longer two
competing plans on the table. This leaves the proposals made by Dr Merrill at
Texas A&M University in Galveston. Merrill proposes using the Dutch system,
which would protect the entire bay. This system has been used in New Orleans
since Katrina, and uses a system of gates and barriers to keep storm surge from
entering internal waters completely.
Merrill's proposal would include storm gates across the mouth of the ship
channel and San Luis Pass that could be sealed in the event of a major storm.
The Seawall would extend west on Galveston Island to San Luis Pass. On the
Bolivar Peninsula, the highway would be elevated to provide a barrier all the
way to Sabine Pass. Storm surge could effectively be locked out of the entire
bay using this type of system.
The estimated total cost of creating such a system and building it is in
the $6 billion range, so it won't be done without federal support. The Bay Area
Houston Economic Partnership has started raising $1.5 million to complete
studies to convince congress that the Ike Dike is a practical idea, and well
worth the money to protect the entire region. The partnership has already raised
half of that amount, and expects to reach the goal within the next several
weeks.
The withdrawal of the Rice plan is a victory for people who live on the
west side of Galveston Bay. Thanks to everyone who raised hell about it, it
worked. Now let's get our politicians to get on board with the Ike Dike. (GATOR)
The SeaBreeze
281-235-8885
======================
see history of all this here;
Sunday, December 9, 2012
RICE DIKE PROPOSAL COULD DESTROY GALVESTON BAY BAYSHORE COMMUNITIES
October 10, 2012
IKE DIKE PROPOSED BY RICE UNIVERSITY hangs our Bayshore communities out to
dry, IN 25 FEET OF WATER, to make way for WATERFRONT RECREATION $$$
Monday, April 15, 2013
Hurricane Ike: 5 Years Later Conference Rice Dike Proposal September 24-25,
2013
