NOUS44 KHGX 071758
PNSHOU
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
100 PM CDT THU SEP 7 2000

...THE 1900 GALVESTON HURRICANE...

THE DEADLIEST HURRICANE IN UNITED STATES HISTORY MADE LANDFALL 
JUST SOUTHWEST OF GALVESTON TEXAS ON THE EVENING OF SEPTEMBER 8TH
1900. CONSIDERING THIS YEAR IS THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THIS HISTORICAL 
EVENT...AND THE PEAK OF HURRICANE SEASON IS AGAIN APPROACHING...
LET US TAKE A LOOK BACK AT THE "GREAT GALVESTON STORM".     

THE 1900 HURRICANE BEGAN AS AN EASTERLY WAVE MOVING WESTWARD 
ACROSS THE TROPICAL ATLANTIC DURING THE LATE DAYS OF AUGUST. THIS 
IS A COMMON SCENARIO NEAR THE PEAK OF THE ATLANTIC BASIN HURRICANE
SEASON...WHEN DISTURBANCES MOVE OFF OF THE AFRICAN COAST AND DEVELOP AS 
THEY PROGRESS ACROSS THE TROPICAL ATLANTIC OCEAN WITH THE EASTERLY TRADE 
WINDS.

ALTHOUGH UNKNOWN AT THE TIME...THE FIRST OBSERVATION OF THE STORM 
CAME ON AUGUST 30TH WHEN A DISTURBANCE WAS REPORTED 125 MILES NORTHWEST
OF MARTINIQUE. THE STORM THEN MOVED ALMOST DUE WEST PASSING JUST SOUTH
OF PUERTO RICO LATE ON AUGUST 31ST...THEN OVER HISPANIOLA AND INTO 
CUBA ON SEPTEMBER 3RD. AS THE CENTER OF THE STORM CROSSED NORTHERN 
PORTIONS OF CUBA ON SEPTEMBER 4TH AND 5TH...INFORMATION BEGAN TO REACH 
THE UNITED STATES.  THE STORM CENTER WAS JUST SOUTHEAST OF THE FLORIDA 
KEYS ON THE MORNING OF THE 6TH...WHICH PROMPTED THE WASHINGTON CENTRAL
WEATHER BUREAU OFFICE TO ORDER STORM AND HURRICANE WARNINGS FROM PORT
EADS LOUISIANA TO HATTERAS NORTH CAROLINA. IT IS ALSO AT THIS TIME 
THAT THE STORM BEGAN ITS MORE WESTWARD COURSE ACROSS THE GULF OF MEXICO
...INTENSIFYING RAPIDLY AND TAKING AIM AT THE TEXAS COASTLINE. ON 
SEPTEMBER 7TH STORM WARNINGS WERE EXTENDED TO GALVESTON TEXAS. AFTER 
WHICH...ISAAC CLINE...THE 39 YEAR OLD LOCAL WEATHER BUREAU OFFICIAL... 
HOISTED TWO STORM FLAGS ATOP THE LEVY BUILDING IN GALVESTON TEXAS 
SIGNALING THAT A VIOLENT STORM WAS SOON EXPECTED. 

EARLY ON SEPTEMBER 8TH...TIDE LEVELS IN GALVESTON BEGAN TO RISE WITH 
CONDITIONS DETERIORATING RAPIDLY AROUND MIDDAY. WINDS REACHED HURRICANE 
FORCE DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS WITH WATER NOW COVERING THE ENTIRE ISLAND. 
THE WIND GAUGE AT THE WEATHER BUREAU BLEW AWAY SHORTLY AFTER 6 PM AS WIND 
SPEEDS APPROACHED 100 MPH. IT IS ALSO AT THIS TIME THAT MANY HOUSES BEGAN 
TO COLLAPSE AS THE WIND STRENGTHENED AND THE WATER CONTINUED TO RISE. THE 
STORM SURGE PEAKED AT JUST OVER 15 FEET AS THE EYE MOVED ONSHORE NEAR SAN 
LUIS PASS DURING THE EVENING HOURS. THE SURGE CARRIED HOMES AND DEBRIS 
INTO THE HEART OF THE CITY CAUSING OTHER STRUCTURES TO BREAK APART AND 
MANY PEOPLE TO DROWN. PARTICULARLY DEVASTATING WERE SECTIONS OF STREETCAR 
TRACK THAT HAD BEEN DISPLACED FROM THE BEACHFRONT. MASSES OF PEOPLE DIED 
FROM BEING STRUCK BY FLYING TIMBERS AND SLATE ROOF SHINGLES AS WIND SPEEDS 
EXCEEDED 130 MPH. THE STORM MOVED QUICKLY INLAND WITH WIND SPEEDS AND WATER 
LEVELS BEGINNING TO SUBSIDE BEFORE MIDNIGHT. THE GULF HAD RETURNED TO NEAR 
NORMAL LEVELS ON SUNDAY MORNING...SEPTEMBER 9TH...AS THE SUN ROSE TO 
ILLUMINATE A CITY IN RUIN. 

THE DEVASTATION LEFT IN THE WAKE OF THE STORM WAS ALMOST UNIMAGINABLE.
NEARLY HALF OF THE RESIDENCE PORTION OF GALVESTON HAD BEEN COMPLETELY 
SWEPT AWAY WITH OVER 8,000 PEOPLE LOSING THEIR LIVES IN GALVESTON 
AND SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES ON THE MAINLAND. 

A REMARKABLE DETERMINATION TO RECOVER AND REBUILD BEGAN SHORTLY AFTER 
THE STORM. ALTHOUGH MANY SIGNIFICANT ACHIEVEMENTS TOOK PLACE IN THE 
FIRST FEW MONTHS AFTER THE STORM...GALVESTON'S MAJOR RECOVERY EFFORTS 
WERE YET TO COME. CONSTRUCTION OF A 17 FOOT SEA WALL BEGAN IN 1902 AND 
WAS COMPLETED IN 1904. IN ADDITION TO THE SEA WALL...THE ISLAND WAS RAISED
DURING THE 6 YEAR PERIOD BETWEEN 1904 AND 1910...SLOPING FROM THE BAY TO 
THE SEA WALL WHICH IS LOCATED ALONG THE BEACHFRONT. THESE PROTECTIVE 
EFFORTS WERE TESTED IN 1915 AS ANOTHER MAJOR HURRICANE MADE LANDFALL 
JUST SOUTHWEST OF GALVESTON. POWERFUL WINDS AGAIN DAMAGED THE CITY...
HOWEVER...THE SEA WALL PROVIDED PROTECTION FROM THE STORM SURGE WHICH 
PREVENTED ANOTHER GREAT LOSS OF LIFE.
 

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