Part of Galveston's 61st Street Pier collapses, but that was on purpose

GALVESTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Effects from Tropical Storm Beta could be felt in Galveston long before the storm's predicted Monday evening landfall.

Rough waves from the beaches' high tides pounded against the 61st Street Fishing Pier.

In video captured by Saltwater-Recon.com, you can see the rough, choppy waters clearly in the daylight.

WHOA! Video from Saltwater-Recon.com shows the moment when the rough tide started beating the pier until it finally surrenders to the rough waters. But, as you'll learn in this story, this collapse was by design.

The website posted on its Facebook page that due to the threat of the swell and the high tide, workers tried to save the good portions by separating the section that could be lost.

Saltwater-Recon explains the owner of the pier and his crew cut sections of the deck and railing around 6 p.m. Sunday, hoping to salvage the remaining sturdy portions.

They had also hoped Mother Nature would do the rest, and as it turns out, she did.

ABC13 reporter Roxie Bustamante captured the moments the right side of the pier was close to crumbling.

High tides forced the Galveston-Port Bolivar Ferry to suspend operations, and Galveston Pro Tem Mayor Dr. Craig Brown told residents to expect about three to five feet of storm surge.

Tide levels also caused local flooding in some neighborhoods and made many roads impassable, including Highway 87.

Scholes Airport announced it will also close ahead of Beta's landfall after flooding caused by the storm surge and high tides.

Voluntary evacuations have been issued for the West End of Galveston Island, Bolivar Peninsula, areas of the city of La Marque outside the levee system, Dickinson, Jamaica Beach, Kemah, Tiki Island and Bayou Vista.