![]() ![]() In a special report on the hurricane, published in the Monthly Weather Review, Cline later noted: On September 7, Cline ordered hurricane warning flags to be flown. Cline was becoming increasingly suspicious of the weather. While the usual signs associated with the approach of a hurricane were still not in evidence, Galveston Weather Station Chief Isaac M. Since wireless ship-to-shore communications were not yet available, there was no way to know just when and where the hurricane would strike. But, once in the Gulf of Mexico, the system began to strengthen and veer westward – on a collision course with the Texas coast. By the time the storm passed over Cuba (September 4) and reached a position just northwest of Key West (September 6), forecasters were convinced the storm would continue to track to the northeast. Weather Bureau forecasters were aware of the Galveston hurricane as early as August 30. Click image for larger view and full description. This map shows the approximate path of the 1900 Galveston hurricane. ![]() ![]() To this day, the 1900 Galveston hurricane remains the deadliest natural disaster in the nation’s history. When its fury finally abated, at least 8,000 people were dead, 3,600 buildings were destroyed, and damage estimates exceeded $20 million ($700 million in today’s dollars). On that fateful day, the Great Galveston Hurricane roared ashore, devastating the island city with winds of 130 to 140 miles per hour and a storm surge in excess of 15 feet. Destiny, however, can be a capricious mistress, a fact that would become painfully clear on September 8, 1900. By the turn of the century, Galveston’s population approached 40,000 and it seemed destined to become one of the biggest and most important cities along the Gulf Coast. Located on a barrier island 30 miles long and several miles wide, the city continued to grow and prosper. The City of Galveston was incorporated in 1839, and was well on its way to becoming a major U.S. During the 1830s, Galveston would also serve as home port to Navy ships engaged in the Texas War of Independence from Mexico.īuckled and broken homes line Galveston's streets after the 1900 storm. Lafitte’s enterprises thrived for several years, until he ran afoul of the American Navy and was forced to leave. Victims of an ever-dwindling population, the Akokisa were destined to fade away shortly after the turn of the century.īy 1817, Galveston Island became the province of pirate Jean Lafitte and served as a base for slave trading, gambling, and saloons, all provided for buyers and fellow buccaneers. In 1785, when Spanish colonial explorer Jose de Evia charted and named the Galveston Bay area in honor of his superior, New Spain Viceroy Bernardo de Galvez, the island’s only inhabitants were a little-known band of Indians called the Akokisa. ![]()
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