Sea change: Will the ocean reclaim Galveston Island in 100 years?

What will Galveston look like in 100 years? It’s a question researchers have been trying to answer.

Most people are drawn to Galveston’s beaches for the waves, the sand and the view.

Lynn Smith is one of those people.

“When we bought this house five years ago, we were the third house from the Gulf, and we were very comfortable with that,” Smith said.

But she’s not comfortable with how the ocean is chipping away at Galveston’s West End, one wave at a time.

Now she owns the second house from the water.

“I’m less comfortable with being the second house. I feel a lot more vulnerable,” she said.

Despite the seawall and the dunes, Mother Nature continues to crawl forward in Galveston, drawing new lines in the sand.

Homes that end up too close to the water have to be torn down.

But losing a few homes pales in comparison to what a Texas A&M researcher says could happen over the next 100 years.

Dr. David Yoskowitz believes that global warming is causing the sea level to rise.

In 100 years, he predicts the sea could rise 1.5 meters. If that happens, the only part of Galveston that would remain above the water is the area built up around the seawall.

Parts of Harris and Chambers counties would also be taken back by the sea, causing billions of dollars worth of damage.

“We focused just on buildings – both private and public buildings. We didn’t take into account roads, utility lines, sewer lines,” Yoskowitz said.

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