Driftwood poses risk for 500,000 Memorial Day weekend tourists expected to visit Galveston beaches

GALVESTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Visit Galveston anticipates 500,000 people could head to the island for the unofficial start to summer, but tourists won't just be competing with crowds for beach space.

On Friday, the signs of the holiday surrounded the island with traffic, busy stores, and many people on the beach.

You won't just find a lot of tourists on the island. On the beach, there's also a lot of seaweed and driftwood.

"A lot of people are wondering if there are hurricanes out there," Dr. Hal Needham said. "No, we've just had a lot of inland flooding this year."

Weather expert Needham, who also goes by "Hurricane Hal," said inland flooding in Texas and Louisiana has sent debris to the Gulf. The driftwood might be coming from the north, but the seaweed is coming from the south.

Experts said it's floating from the Caribbean. While it's the most they've seen on the island in a decade, Needham said it could be worse.

"The main part of the seaweed right now is in the Caribbean and the Atlantic," Needham explained. "Really far from here. It's something we'll keep an eye on, but we're hoping it stays out there."

Officials have piled and picked up some of the wood debris from Galveston's beaches, but they can't get it all. That's because some of it is still in the water.

"It's going to weigh two to three times more than it normally would," Galveston Island Beach Patrol Lt. Austin Kirwin said. "If you do see a piece like that coming in, just get out of the way and let the lifeguard know."

The driftwood may be dangerous, but the seaweed is different. Experts said you don't need to avoid it walking on the beach, and it's harmless in the water.

In fact, if you're looking for something to do with the kids, experts said you can shake the seaweed over a container and see what you find. "It's just part of the Gulf aquarium that we have out here," Needham said. "It just shows you this is not a swimming pool, it's Mother Nature."

The elements are why lifeguards are ready. While the Galveston Island Beach Patrol said it's short 40 lifeguards, it has enough staff for this weekend. If you're looking to avoid the crowds and other natural visitors, know that it may be something you'll have to deal with all summer.

"We had some seaweed in late April and the first days of May, and then for the next two weeks it got really quiet," Needham explained. "The seaweed will tend to drift in and dry out, and a couple of weeks later, we had some more. It's kind of hit or miss."

Natural features that don't appear to slow down the large volume of tourists ready to kick off summer this weekend.

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