Hundreds of people whose beachfront homes were wrecked by Hurricane Ike may be barred from rebuilding under a little-noticed Texas law. And even those whose houses were spared could end up seeing them condemned by the state.
Now here’s the saltwater in the wound: It could be a year before the state tells these homeowners what they may or may not do.
Worse, if these homeowners do lose their beachfront property, they may get nothing in compensation from the state.
The reason: A 1959 law known as the Texas Open Beaches Act. Under the law, the strip of beach between the average high-tide line and the average low-tide line is considered public property, and it is illegal to build anything there.
“I don’t like it one bit,” said Phillip Curtis, 58, a Dallas contractor who owns two homes — a $350,000 vacation home and a $200,000 rental — on Galveston Island’s Jamaica Beach. “I think the state should allow us to try to save the houses. I don’t appreciate the state telling people, ‘Now it belongs to us.’ It breaks your heart.”
The former state senator who wrote the law had little sympathy.
“We’re talking about damn fools that have built houses on the edge of the sea for as long as man could remember and against every advice anyone has given,” A.R. “Babe” Schwartz said.
I live in Texas and am saddened by some of your remarks. My parents live in a small town called Bridge City. Their home is 9 ft above sea level. They have lived there for 30 years and have never flooded. The first hurricane to hit this town in my 36 years of life was Hurricane Rita in 05. The town did not flood, there was some water damage, but most was wind. They were hit again in 07 with a cat 1 storm. There was little to know damage. Hurricane Ike was the third storm to hit this town. Now the town is a total loss. 4 homes out of 3500 did not take in water. This is a middle class working community where most of the people were SMART enough to evacuate. These people deserve help. They have lost everything. They were not stupid for living here. They were not living in an area that has been hit over and over. This is new to them, and several will be building up and/or moving. Fema was there for Katrina and all the people who took advantage and continue to live in the fema trailers, but a small town where the people want to rebuild, and move on, there is NO help. My parents, sister and her family, cousins, aunts and uncles, and many friends all lost their homes. This is devestating.
Oh, and by the way, Bridge City is not a beach community. It is an hour from a beach.
#34–cf==what help do Bridge City residents deserve that they are not getting?
When New Orleans was hit, they received financial assistance, not just loans from FEMA. They also received trailors to live in while they were supposed to be rebuilding. They also received financial help from red cross to purchase clothing and other necessities to get them through. They all received emergency food stamps or extra funding on the food stamps no matter the income. Bridge City has been told by FEMA that they are not in the trailor business. The people of Bridge City are hard working middle class people who will not abuse the system. They will only use the trailors until they are finished rebuilding or find employment in another area where they can rebuild. FEMA only offers BC loans. Red Cross has been wonderful and have been serving hot meals to the people there, but there is no financial help like with New Orleans. My parents were turned down for food stamps because they make too much money. My dad brings home $2100 in disability every month. They lost everything. The bad thing is that not only did people lose their homes, they lost their jobs (if they work in BC or around.) People are having to live in their homes that are full of snakes, dead fish, mud and mold. There is no other places to stay and if there were, people can’t afford to pay their house notes and rent. I know I am ranting. But people are desperate. It would not be as bad if we did not see how well the people in New Orleans were treated compared to Bridge City. Unlike most of New Orleans, this town is full of hardworking tax payers.