Galveston Hurricane of 1900

1. Based on your examination of the Texas Map showing the gulf coast around Galveston, would you say the city is vulnerable? Yes, The city of Galveston is on an island and it will always be exposed to the Gulf of Mexico, which is always prone to storms and hurricanes

2. Using the ad shown in slide 2, does Galveston look like a place a business would do well? Galveston is a port on the Gulf of Mexico, which means transportation was available by railroad and steamboat. Trade from around the world is delivered and shipped through the island.

3. Were the citizens of Galveston warned about the hurricane? Yes, some were warned by phone or verbally. There was no broadcast of information to all of the citizens.

4. What precautions did the citizens of Galveston take? Many of the people went to the center of the city for protection and huddled in larger stone structures like the Cline home.

5. How many people were taking shelter in the Cline’s house? There were about forty to fifty people who took shelter at the Cline’s home.

6. Why did Cline decide to relocate the center of the city, and what made the attempt impossible? Galveston is an island and therefore there is no one safe place on the island. The island is vulnerable to the storms from the gulf.

7. How would you have reacted to the rapid rise in water level described by Cline? I would have moved to higher ground in the center of the city or left the island to the mainland.

8. When his residence “went down” what happened to Cline and the people sheltered with him? All but eighteen of the people in the Cline’s house were lost at sea.

9. What was the greatest threat to those who were adrift in the hurricane and how could they protect themselves. The debris and wood planks drifting in the violent current was the worst threat of the hurricane. Some people held up timbers to protect themselves.

10. According to the insurance adjustor, how many houses were totally destroyed by the hurricane The total number homes destroyed by the hurricane was 3,636 houses.

11. What does Cline say would have saved the city? Why does he think so? Cline was advised that the barometer was below 19 inches and that no further messages could be sent due to the down wires. He mentioned to everyone to move to the center of the city to find refuge. The low barometer reading could forecast future storms.

12. How many individuals were lost when the Catholic Orphan’s home was destroyed? Seventy -five orphan’s died or were lost at sea, when orphan’s home was destroyed.

13. How many people did St. Mary’s Hospital shelter? St. Mary’s Hospital sheltered more than one thousand citizens.

14. Describe St. Mary’s Hospital rescue operation. Was it effective? St. Mary’s recue was effective because they used five boats to rescue survivors. The hospital was not destroyed which saved thousands of lives from the hurricane.

15. Based on the photo in slide 13 and the text in slide 14, describe the damage to the hospital and how many people inside reacted to the storm. St. Mary’s Infirmary was the refuge where over a thousand lives were saved from the hurricane. Of all of those who took refuge there, only two lives were lost. All of them feared the worse in the storm. They heard the terrible noises that the wind and water made in their mission of destruction.

16 What was the danger of family members roping themselves together? The danger of roping yourselves together is increasing your chances of perishing. If one member got caught in the current than everyone would drift out to sea. If one got caught in debris the others could not save themselves, because they were tied to one another.

17. Based on your reading of the text selections, did people help individuals seeking shelter from the storm? Yes everyone was willing to help their neighbors and offer shelter like the Cline’s did in their home.

18. Based on the images shown throughout the PSA, what is your impression of the damage the storm caused? I have never seen so much ruins in one small space. The entire city was destroyed in a matter of hours. It was the largest natural disaster in the country.

19. Should Galveston have built the seawall? Explain why or why not. Galveston was only 6-7 feet above sea level, which proved disastrous for the citizen’s of the city. After building the seawall Galveston has experienced several hurricanes without the destruction of 1900.