residences and commercial buildings and leaving large debris piles at the 
base of the seawall (Photos 5-7). Surge levels on the Bolivar Peninsula 
reached +7 to +8 ft NGVD between the western end of the peninsula and Crystal 
Beach, rising from both the Gulf and Bay sides of the peninsula but failing 
to inundate Highway 87 and many homes built on high ground along the highway. 
Photo 8 shows several homes on the beach damaged or destroyed by the storm; 
however, most homes further inland showed signs of wind damage but no flooding 
damage. At High Island, 50 miles east of the point of landfall, the surge 
reached +4 to +5 ft NGVD, flooding extensive low-lying marsh areas and de- 
positing large amounts of sand on Highway 87 (Photos 9 and 10). 
29. At Virginia Point, just north of Galveston Island, the surge 
covered the Gulf Freeway up to approximately +7 ft NGVD, cutting off all access 
to the island during the height of the storm. The Texas City dike was over- 
topped along most of its length, but the Texas City levee system protected the 
city from surge-induced flooding. The surge along this section of the bay 
is estimated to have been between +7 and +10 ft NGVD. At Seabrook, 15 miles 
north of Texas City, the storm surge reached approximately +9 ft NGVD. The 
water level remained considerably higher than normal in this area for at 
least 3 days after landfall (Photo 11). 
30. High water marks on the Highway 146 bridge at Baytown indicated a 
surge at the north end of Galveston Bay of approximately +10 ft NGVD. 
Photo 12 shows the eastern end of the bridge causeway. The water level in 
this area rose 3 to 4 ft above normal by the morning of 17 August and remained 
several feet higher than normal for at least 3 days after landfall. East 
of Baytown, in the Houston Point area, the shoreline is backed by bluffs 15 
to 20 ft high which prevented significant surge damage. No definite high 
water marks were located in this area. 
31. The maximum water level at Anahuac, in the northeast corner of the 
bay, exceeded +8 ft NGVD, flooding a Texas Water Resources Board recording 
tide gage. The topography in this area is flat and low-lying, allowing the 
surge to propagate north past the Interstate 10 crossing of the Trinity River 
7 miles north of Anahuac. Debris along the I-10 causeway indicated a surge 
level near +10 ft NGVD. At Smith Point, 15 miles south of Anahuac, high water 
marks in a county park indicated a rise in water level of approximately 
+5 ft NGVD. Smith Point and the bay shoreline to the east are low-lying 
wetland areas that were inundated by the surge except for high ground along 
16 
