Galveston and the Great Storm of 1900

A storm that began in late August near the Cape Verde Islands, off Africa’s west coast, had reached Cuba by September 5th. In the days of primitive weather instruments, meteorologists on the island had developed an amazing ability to forecast major storms. They predicted this tropical storm would intensify when it left Cuba. And they believed it would do something else: continue on its westward path toward Texas.

Those early forecasters were right. Due to the arrogance of some folks in the U.S. Weather Bureau, however, people in the direct path of the "Great Storm of 1900" didn’t know their lives and property were in grave danger. When the storm reached Galveston, an island off the Texas shore, it temporarily buried the town and its people with sea water. At least 8,000 people died within a few hours.

It remains the worst disaster in U.S. history.