On this day in 1900, a hurricane made landfall at Galveston and caused the deadliest natural disaster in U.S. history.

On this day in 1900, a hurricane made landfall at Galveston and caused the deadliest natural disaster in U.S. history.


Residents were given almost no warning of the storm’s approach and few were able to evacuate. The storm surge completely flooded the island and more than 6,000 people died in a city of 38,000. The aftermath of the storm was horrific. Two-thirds of the city’s buildings lay in ruins and the bodies that could be recovered couldn’t immediately be buried. 


As part of the rebuilding efforts, Galveston lifted the entire city — up to 17 feet in some places — and built a six-mile-long seawall. The measures were successful. The city survived another hurricane just 15 years later.

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