Bill Merrell, a professor in the Marine Sciences Department at Texas A&M University at Galveston and a former president of the school, sits along Galveston Bay as he talks about the Ike Dike project Friday, Sept. 4, 2020, in Galveston, Texas. The Ike Dike is a coastal barrier that, when completed, would protect the Houston-Galveston region including Galveston Bay from hurricane storm surge. The project was conceived by Merrell in response to the extensive surge damage caused by Hurricane Ike in September of 2008. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)People fish in Galveston Bay on Friday, Sept. 4, 2020, in Galveston, Texas. The Ike Dike is a proposed coastal barrier that would protect the Houston-Galveston region, including Galveston Bay from hurricane storm surge. The project was conceived by Bill Merrell, a professor in the Marine Sciences Department at Texas A&M University at Galveston and a former president of the school, in response to the extensive surge damage caused by Hurricane Ike in September of 2008. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)FILE - In this Sept. 24, 2008, file photo, Gina Hadley walks through whats left of her home in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike in Galveston, Texas. The Ike Dike is a proposed coastal barrier that would protect the Houston-Galveston region, including Galveston Bay, from hurricane storm surge. The project was conceived by Bill Merrell, a professor in the Marine Sciences Department at Texas A&M University at Galveston and a former president of the school, in response to the extensive surge damage caused by Hurricane Ike in September of 2008. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)FILE - In this Sept. 12, 2008, file photo, a boarded-up home sits along the beach as Hurricane Ike approaches in Galveston, Texas. The Ike Dike is a proposed coastal barrier that would protect the Houston-Galveston region, including Galveston Bay, from hurricane storm surge. The project was conceived by Bill Merrell, a professor in the Marine Sciences Department at Texas A&M University at Galveston and a former president of the school, in response to the extensive surge damage caused by Hurricane Ike in September of 2008. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)Bill Merrell, a professor in the Marine Sciences Department at Texas A&M University at Galveston and a former president of the school, sits along Galveston Bay as he talks about the Ike Dike project Friday, Sept. 4, 2020, in Galveston, Texas. The Ike Dike is a coastal barrier that, when completed, would protect the Houston-Galveston region including Galveston Bay from hurricane storm surge. The project was conceived by Merrell in response to the extensive surge damage caused by Hurricane Ike in September of 2008. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)People fish in Galveston Bay Friday, Sept. 4, 2020, in Galveston, Texas. The Ike Dike is a proposed coastal barrier that would protect the Houston-Galveston region, including Galveston Bay from hurricane storm surge. The project was conceived by Bill Merrell, a professor in the Marine Sciences Department at Texas A&M University at Galveston and a former president of the school, in response to the extensive surge damage caused by Hurricane Ike in September of 2008. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
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Bill Merrell, a professor in the Marine Sciences Department at Texas A&M University at Galveston and a former president of the school, sits along Galveston Bay as he talks about the Ike Dike project Friday, Sept. 4, 2020, in Galveston, Texas. The Ike Dike is a coastal barrier that, when completed, would protect the Houston-Galveston region including Galveston Bay from hurricane storm surge. The project was conceived by Merrell in response to the extensive surge damage caused by Hurricane Ike in September of 2008. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
