Posted on January 13, 2025
Parts of Texas’ shores were unrecognizable after the Category 1 hurricane wreaked havoc on the Gulf Coast in July, destroying dunes and immediately causing the shore to become largely inaccessible, drone survey images show.
For the first time in the city’s history, Jamaica Beach officials this week began discussions about a project to restore beach dunes after Hurricane Beryl damaged the community’s coastlines.
Parts of Texas’ shores were unrecognizable after the Category 1 hurricane wreaked havoc on the Gulf Coast over the summer, destroying dunes and immediately causing the shore to become largely inaccessible, drone survey images show.
Large channels opened up along the shoreline in some places after the storm surge retreated on July 8. Images captured by University of Houston researchers along the shoreline of Galveston Island showed a washed-out beachfront with damaged dunes.
On the shorelines of Jamaica Beach, located on the east end of Galveston Island, protective dunes were completely destroyed, city planners said.
“Obviously after Beryl the landscape of our beach has changed dramatically, most notably the removal of our dunes and the dune fencing that was there,” Kendal Francis, a Jamaica Beach city administrator, said during a council meeting on Thursday.
What’s left along the beach’s landscape are only fence posts.
The Jamaica Beach city council is now weighing options to address the damaged coast by establishing a permanent dune restoration site on the beach, potentially using hay bales, hauling in extra sand to restore the dunes, and removing old signage.
One of the first priorities, Mayor Sharon Bower said, should be removing the remaining posts before spring break to enhance safety and the aesthetics of the beach. Francis suggested using the remaining sand fencing holes for the future bollards to save on costs.
“All that barbed wire out there, it’s dangerous,” Bowers said. “I’m in favor of pulling the old poles and dune fencing at this point.”
If city planners pursue a plan to dedicate a permanent dune restoration site, the area will be roped off to prevent vehicles from parking within the area. The council will also still need to decide if it wants to pursue additional dune restoration projects that may cross over with that one, council members said.
“Right now the sign says no vehicle beyond this point or something, but frequently you would see vehicles well beyond that point parked in the dunes or in the dune fencing just to try to maximize the space depending on how wide the beach was that day,” Francis said.
Before the project can begin, and before planners can look into funding sources for the costly project, they’ll need a blessing from the Texas General Land Office.
“The conversations I have had with the representative, they really want it to be as far landward as reasonable,” Francis said. “They don’t want you to just cut your beach in half and say, ‘Hey, this is all dune restoration.’ “
Francis said representatives of the state office were scheduled to visit Jamaica Beach in January, but the visit was pushed back to late February or early March. The city set aside a balance of $75,000 for the potential project, according to city council agenda documents.
