'They Don't Quit:' US Army Corps Unfazed By Storm Imelda as They Continue Working on Galveston Beach

Workers with the US Army Corps of Engineers continued to work on a Galveston beach widening project as Storm Imelda brought wind and rain to the south eastern coast of Texas on September 18.

In a video uploaded by Emily Evans, the bulldozers can be seen moving slowly across the beach as they shoveled sand into small piles close to the waves.

While at first glance it may appear as if the sand pushers were prepping for Storm Imelda, the US Army Corps of Engineers confirmed to Storyful that they were actually working on a “renourishment project” at Babes Beach, a strip of sand which runs along Seawall Boulevard. The $20.9 million maintenance project is designed to improve eroded coastlines through the placement of dredged material.

When asked why they were working during Storm Imelda, which caused flood warnings to be issued in parts of Texas, a spokeswoman for the City of Galveston said: “They don’t quit. They have been working through the storm.” She added that rain in the area had been coming in patches and was not very heavy on the afternoon of September 18.

Storm Imelda was expected to produce total rainfall of 6 to 12 inches with isolated maximum amounts of 25 inches across the upper coastal region of Texas, including the Houston and Galveston areas, according to authorities.

The National Weather Service said Storm Imelda would continue to bring rain to the Houston and Galveston areas on September 18. It said people should not drive across flooded roadways or attempt to drive around barricades. Credit: Emily Evans via Storyful