The Severe Storm Prediction, Education and Evacuation from Disasters (SSPEED) Center (a university based research and education organization), has released Learning the Lessons of Hurricane Ike: Preparing for the Next Big One (PDF). In it, you can find what the researchers think are the best ways to protect the Houston Ship Channel from another major storm. Interesting and a quick read.
Don’t forget that you can find other adaptation options in the “adaptation/mitigation” section of the site.