15
Sep
1) The 1900 Galveston HurricaneThe Galveston Hurricane of September 8, 1900 remains the deadliest natural disaster in United States history. Striking the Texas coast as a powerful Category 4 storm, it produced storm surges exceeding 15 feet and winds estimated at 145 miles per hour. The island city of Galveston, then a booming port with roughly 38,000 residents, had little warning and virtually no protective infrastructure. An estimated 8,000 to 12,000 people lost their lives.Entire neighborhoods were swept away. The destruction prompted sweeping changes in American disaster preparedness, including the construction of a massive seawall and the elevation of the…
