113 Years Ago Today: The Worst Natural Disaster in U.S. History
The best guess is that 8,000 people were killed although the range of estimates is 6,000 to 12,000.
Galveston after the September 8, 1900, hurricane. Texas State Library photo
When they awoke on the morning of September
8, 1900, the 38,000 residents of Galveston, Texas were unaware that
this day would be their city's last. They had no idea that before the
day was done, 8,000 of their fellow citizens would perish with the city.
The culprit was a hurricane. The storm swept in off the Gulf of Mexico
packing winds up to 135 mph - a category 4 storm in modern terminology.
The storm propelled a fifteen-foot surge of water before it; easily
swamping the 8.7-foot-high island that Galveston called home. Together,
the wind and the water destroyed everything in their path and created
the worst natural disaster in America's history....
