Galveston Hurricane

A detailed Summary of Galveston Hurricane

The Galveston Hurricane and Storm Surge

On a Friday evening in Galveston on September 7, 1900, many residents were eating dinner unaware of a disastrous hurricane headed toward them. The people were not sure just how very powerful the hurricane was because they did not have the modern technology that we have today. Their way of determining hurricane statistics was to simply go out on boats and report back information. By noon on September 8, 1900, this hurricane had grown in wind speed from 15 miles per hour to over 50 miles per hour. The storm appeared to be getting larger.

The Galveston Hurricane was the worst hurricane in American history. It was an

"F-4" hurricane with winds that were said to have reached up to 145 miles per hour. The water rose so much that it completely submerged bridges that attached the mainland with the island. Atmospheric pressure went into double digits, and the barometric pressure fell rapidly as the water rose. Galveston's highest point was only 8.7 feet above sea level, so the water did not have to rise much to cover the whole island.

Preparations Before and After the Storm

Prior to the hurricane, Galveston was known as the "New York of the South" because it was the leading seaport in the nation. This soon changed following the hurricane. The Galveston Hurricane was more disastrous than even the Great Chicago Fire and the Johnstown Flood put together.

Another case of survival was that told of a man named Isaac Cline and his family. Isaac, his daughter, two nieces and his brother would all survive the storm. Unfortunately, Isaac's wife would not survive. A month after the hurricane had passed, she was found dead on the mainland's shore.

A 17 feet tall, three miles wide seawall was created for this reason. Galveston also went through another architectural change that would increase the town's elevation. This change involved pumping in sand from the floor of the Gulf of Mexico to heighten elevation. The rebuilding of Galveston ,along with all of these changes, was not completed until July of 1910 which was just in time for another hurricane that struck the island in 1915. The hard work in the rebuilding of the town paid off with only 8 people reported killed in the 191

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Approximate Word count = 787
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Science

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Galveston Hurricane

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