Levees won't protect cities from big storm

Richard Corbett knows how effective a good hurricane levee can be. The lifelong La Marque resident attributes the county’s 17-mile long surge protector for keeping his home dry during the last major storm. “After Alicia, we climbed to the top of the levee, and the water came up to the bottom end,” said Corbett, whose home is just blocks away. “I can guarantee you it kept the water away.”

However, that guarantee can only go so far.

“The levee system is designed to handle the storm surge of a high level 3 hurricane or maybe a low 4,” said Mike Fitzgerald, county engineer.

from the Galveston County Daily News