In this article from the Houston Chronicle, the restoration of beaches on Galveston Island, a barrier island in Texas, is discussed. This project, coming after a failed proposal to use tax money to raise the sea walls, attempts to help counter storm surge while also maintaining economic benefit due to tourism by widening the beach. Along with the contractor leading the project and the Army Corps of Engineers, the city of Galveston is undergoing its 3rd beach restoration project since 1995, with the last coming in 2009 after Hurricane Ike. The plan is for this to suffice for 5 years, with more maintenance being completed then. This does concern me though that restoration efforts, necessary as a result of rising sea level and storm surges, will prove too costly and potentially not leave enough time to build up sea walls when it becomes clear to the state of Texas that that would likely be the most viable, long term solution to protecting the coast from the rising sea waters.