Visit to Galveston, Texas

Today I visited the site of the deadliest natural disaster in United States History - Galveston, Texas. On September 8, 1900, a category four hurricane roared ashore just west of the island, placing the city in the destructive right-front quadrant. This produced wind gusts as high as 160 MPH and a storm surge of 16 feet. The devastating storm surge killed over 6,000 people and caused $483 million in damages (2006 dollars).

Reminders of this catastrophe in the city include the 17-foot seawall along the Gulf of Mexico. The other is the 27-minute multimedia presentation at the 21st Street Pier know as "The Great Storm". This film shows a short history and overview of 1900 Galveston. It also shows peoples' accounts of the hurricane based on their letters and journals. This film is a must-see for anyone visiting the island.

Also of interest, this Wednesday (June 27) will mark the 50th anniversary of Hurricane Audrey's landfall at Cameron, LA where over 500 people were killed and over $1 billion in damages was inflicted by this powerful category four hurricane (2006 dollars).