Texas lawmakers could allocate about a billion dollars this year to prevent floods, but the potentially huge investment is just a fraction of the tens of billions of dollars that are likely necessary to harden Texas communities against hurricanes and floods, according to early proposals for the state’s first flood plan.
Texas House and Senate members negotiating the state’s massive two-year budget included $550 million for proposed coastal barrier projects, including the “Ike Dike,” a huge gate system proposed for the mouth of Galveston Bay and named for the 2008 hurricane that ravaged the island.
