The Texas Open Beaches Act could mean ruin for the victims of Hurricane Ike. Under it, it is illegal to build anything between the high and low tide line as it is considered public property. Here's a bit on it from an article over at MSNBC
Over the years, the state has repeatedly invoked the law to seize houses in cases where a storm eroded a beach so badly that a home was suddenly sitting on public property. The aftermath of Ike could see the biggest such use of the law in Texas history.
What is going to happen to the victims of Hurricane Ike affected by this?
Since Ike did massive damage, it's likely the large majority of beachfront home owners will be left homeless. This becomes much worse when the period of time they could be in this state becomes indefinite.
In the same article, it says
And even those whose houses were spared could end up seeing them condemned by the state.
Now here's the saltwater in the wound: It could be a year before the state tells these homeowners what they may or may not do.
Worse, if these homeowners do lose their beachfront property, they may get nothing in compensation from the state.
Is there any charity set up to help those left homeless? Have any of the candidates talked about this (Texas or otherwise)? Because if they have, I haven't heard any of it. It should be an issue, if only briefly. These are people we're talking about (even though the government often treats them as less than that). They either lose their home and receive no compensation from the state or their house survives the storm it is condemned by the state.
Furthermore, there are similar laws in California and Oregon. There are already homeless camps around the country and there are close to 3 million people experiencing homelessness. Does anyone know what could be done about this?