After Hurricane Beryl whipped through Galveston with winds up to 94 mph, knocking out power and leaving damage, the city of Galveston says it’s now ready to welcome back visitors.
The city estimates that 99 percent of power has been restored to the island, and many local shops, restaurants and stores have been reopened, according to a statement from the city.
“We are fortunate that our business districts made a relatively quick bounce back,” Galveston Mayor Craig Brown said in the statement. “I think it really speaks to the resiliency of our community that business owners, residents and non-profits worked together to help each other during the aftermath of this storm. That is the essence of the Galveston Island community.”
The mayor had previously asked visitors to hold off returning to the island after the city experienced “extensive” damage. Residents on the west side of the Island, which is not protected by the seawall, were among the hardest hit. Brown said storm surge caused flooding that prevented some west side residents from getting in and out of their homes.
The substation and transmission lines on the west side were a focus of Centerpoint according to an update from the mayor earlier this week. As of July 16, that construction has been 99 percent completed. A number of energy crews will remain on the island to address smaller localized power issues across the island, according to an update from the city.
An update from the city on July 15 showed that Centerpoint outages for Galveston County were under 800 meters.
Beaches along the seawall are open to the public. Stewart Beach, East Beach and some beaches further on the west end remain temporarily closed to expedite clean-up efforts.
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