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. NNNN