Galveston was trashed by a category 4 in 1900, not a cat 5. Rita's also been turning steadily northward for most of the day and dropped to a cat 4. Even so, a storm surge into the bay would be concentrated to exceed 30 feet, most likely, which would probably overwhelm most of anything Galveston could throw up to stop it. Galveston will survive this, I'm sure, even if it is devastated as badly as in 1900. The loss of life will not compare to then, certainly.
