Galveston Seawall

The Galveston Seawall is a seawall in Galveston, Texas, USA that was built after the Galveston Hurricane of 1900 for protection from future hurricanes. Construction began in September, 1902, and the initial segment was completed on July 291904. From 1904 to 1963, the seawall was extended from convert|3.3|mi|km to over convert|10|mi|km long. [ [http://www.gthcenter.org/exhibits/seawall/index.html SEAWALL] Accessed 2008-09-17.] Reporting in the aftermath of the 1983 Hurricane Alicia, the Corps of Engineers estimated that $100 million in damage was avoided because of the seawall. [http://www.usatoday.com/weather/huricane/history/walicia.htm] On September 12, 2008 Hurricane Ike forced waves to go over the top of the seawall. [cite web
title=As Waters Rise, Many Decline To Leave Galveston Island
author=Ben Casselman | date=2008-09-12 | accessdate=2008-09-13
publisher=The Wall Street Journal
quote=By 4 p.m., waves were overtopping the city's 17-foot-tall seawall and parts of...island were unreachable even by rescue crews.
url=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122125933796630189.html?mod=googlenews_wsj]

Texas F.M. 3005, otherwise known as Seawall Boulevard along the wall, runs along the seawall.

The seawall is presently convert|10|mi|km long. It is approximately convert|17|ft|m high, and convert|16|ft|m thick at its base. The seawall was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1977 and designated a National Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) in 2001. [ [http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=1990_728179 City has raised storm preparedness to a fine art, HoustonChronicle.com] ]

Many miles of the seawall are painted with murals called "wall art". These huge murals are painted by children and depict underwater life. The art is designed to make the seawall more interesting to visitors.

References

External links

* [http://nachofoto.com/foto?i=41ab94945a12&ref=41ab94945a12 Galveston seawall images]
* [http://www.brightcove.tv/title.jsp?title=1785367231 Waves crashing over the Galveston seawall during hurricane Ike]
* [http://www3.familyoldphotos.com/category/special-sections/galveston-seawall One hundred year old photos of the Galveston seawall]