I’m noticing a slight theme with our past couple of podcasts! From the deadliest US fire to the deadliest US volcanic eruption, we now will be discussing the deadliest natural disaster in US history, where a category 4 hurricane destroyed 3,600 buildings and created a death toll of up to 12,000.
Of course we got to start with a little background knowledge into our time period and hurricanes. Of course back in 1900 there was not a great system of anything really, but especially when it came to early warning signals or predicting a hurricane’s path. So I’m sure you can see where this is likely going. Now most of us are familiar with hurricanes as they happen regularly in the southern and eastern parts of the United States. And many have heard of hurricane Katrina that hit New Orleans in 2005. There were close to 1,900 deaths from hurricane Katrina and we all know how horrible the devastation was afterward in New Orleans. It took them years to rebuild it. But let's talk about hurricanes in general. Hurricanes start out tropical storms and reach the category of a hurricane when winds reach speeds over 74 mph. Actually looking up information for this podcast I found the gulf is experiencing a tropical storm now that they believe will become a hurricane that hits the golf so they are watching it closely. We also have a tropical storm off the coast of California which luckily will not have enough power to become a hurricane before it hits land so will just be sending some hot weather and possibly rain to the people in San Diego.
Now the science of hurricanes was not accurate and wouldn’t really reach any real traction until the 1940’s. The United States did have a Weather Bureau at the time, but it was only 10 years old. It’s now called the National Weather Service. They really didn’t have anyway to accurately predict where the hurricane would hit. Many specialists believed that the hurricane would hit Florida and move up toward New England, but people in Cuba had kind of become “experts” to say the least as they had experienced lots of hurricanes. They predicted it would move into the golf, but the Weather Bureau’s director was kind of an ass and cut off communication with Cuba likely, because he was jealous they knew more. He then said no state or town could issue a hurricane warning without going through Washington aka him first. You can imagine how that turned out. So now let’s get to the actual event!
Galveston Hurricane
Galveston is a port city where it benefited both economically and culturally. By 1900, it saw a population of around 40,000 and was considered the largest port city in Texas. After the disaster, this would transition to Houston as the largest port city. Galveston is a lower lying city like that of New Orleans. We all know that isn’t a good thing. Almost everyone in Galveston believed they were safe because the Weather Bureau in Washington said so. Everyone kept going about their business instead of preparing for the oncoming storm.
This hurricane struck Mississippi and Louisiana first, but knocked out telegraph lines which was the only form of communication to other places that could now not be used to warn people of the hurricane. Many in Galveston believed a hurricane would never hit there.
Gena’s Macabre Moment
In early September of 1900, the category 4 hurricane was getting closer to Texas but the citizens were unaware. Chief forecaster in Galveston, Isaac Cline, stated to believe that Washington forecasters had gotten the hurricane’s path wrong. He tried to warn the city by driving through the streets in his horse and buggy. He also contacted Washington, but communication between Washington and Galveston was not easy. The warnings came too late. By that point the hurricane had already struck the town on September 9. And it hit with deadly force. Waves of up to 15 feet descended on the city along with strong winds and rain. Winds were reported of up to 140 mph. By the end of the storm, the town was under about 15 feet of water. Cline’s wife would be dead before it all ended. Official reports claim 8,000 people died from the flooding and the hurricane, while many believe that over 12,000 died. Many victims were washed out to sea never to be seen again. Reports say there were bodies everywhere. Clean up crews would later comment on the stench of dead bodies for miles. About 1 in 4 residents were left homeless and not a single building went undamaged. Galveston was cut off from the world. Bridges out of the city were destroyed along with telegraph lines. They had no forms of communication to seek help. The city faced famine and disease with no clean water to drink. It took over a week for help to be sent to the devastated city of Galveston.
Like many disasters, the city took a hard look at its buildings and codes. They decided to build a 17 ft seawall to help protect against the next hurricane. The US also realized it wasn’t a good idea to combine politics and weather, but hurricane science wouldn’t pick up until the 1940’s. But 105 years later when Hurricane Rita (4th largest Atlantic hurricane on record) hit, the town was ready and called for an emergency evacuation within a safe time that most citizens would find safety elsewhere.
And there you have the high story of the deadliest natural disaster in US history. Thanks for reading!
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