Great Galveston Hurricane of 1900

[DoomsDave]

The other day, I met an attorney whose father decided to stay put in the ancestral family vacation home in Breezy Point, New York City instead of leaving and seeking safety as Hurricane Sandy bore down on him in October of 2012.

"Dad didn't believe 'the hype' as he put it. You know how it is with old people sometimes." Apparently, he was annoyed that his house was still standing after Hurricane Irene and he had gone to the trouble of running then. Pain in the a$$.

Turns out the guy's house was two houses away from that swath of houses that burned from gas fires fanned by the wind.

"Dad got a bit irate with the fire department when they refused to go out there. Dispatch said he coulda' left, chose to stay, made your bed, now sleep in it. You know how it is with old people sometimes."

Dad got off easily.

In 1900, there was a hurricane with hit Galveston Island dead center, and killed about 8,000 with the storm surge, out of a population of about 35,000. So many bodies they had to burn them, or bury them at sea. Fun fun fun.

The good people of Galveston knew the storm was coming from ship reports and well-known weather indicators of an approaching cyclone. Nevertheless, most of the people either had no clue about the danger they faced, or chose to ride it out. Parts of the island were wiped clean of all structures, people and all.

For those Palm Talkers faced with Matthew, I'm glad you chose to run.

There was a time, when, in the spirit of adventure, I might have chosen to ride it out. Storm surge schmorm surge, what are cococonut crowns for? Just hang on. Use the empty beer keg as a flotation device . . . .

The 1900 storm was the worst natural disaster to hit the U.S. so far. Hope it stays that way. If we use our technology - and our heads - there's a great chance of that.

Other cyclones have had truly eye-popping death tolls. The one I remember was in 1970 in East Pakistan, now Bangledesh. Up to half a million (500,000) people died. I remember the pictures in Life magazine that included a mangrove swamp paved with thousands of bodies, mostly dressed in white. They looked like snow, there were so many. My mother knew a lady who worked in a lab with her from nearby Bengal in India, whose family home was destroyed, though they survived, and had to accommodate tens of thousands of refugees.

Paul McCartney's concert for Bangledesh was organized to provide aid.

So, run when they give the warnings. And, remind me, too if I happen to be with you.

And, if you need a place to stay, there's always La Habra, if you don't mind a few cats and a lot of palms.

[DoomsDave]

Here's a storm surge filmed in real time, Katrina.

Imagine being old and alone, confined to a wheelchair . . .

28 foot (9 m) storm surge.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Kou0HBpX4A

[Josh-O]

[DoomsDave]

On 10/25/2016, 10:43:45, Josh-O said:

Vodka in that cup?

[Josh-O]

3 hours ago, DoomsDave said:

Vodka in that cup?

good to the last drop

[DoomsDave]

9 hours ago, Josh-O said:

good to the last drop

DA!

[Matt N- Dallas]

The 1900 Galveston hurricane resulted in unimaginable loss of life.  I found this house interesting when I drove around Galveston earlier this year- it provided refuge to 200 people during the 1900 hurricane.  

[Matt N- Dallas]

This church also survived the 1900 hurricane.

[Matt N- Dallas]

[bubba]

 The 1900 Galveston hurricane hit the city on September 8, 1900. It was a Cape Verde that started as a bundle of thunderstorms that rolled off the west African  Coast on August 27, 1900. It traveled through the Florida Straits on September 5, 1990 as a tropical storm. When  it hit Galveston on September 8, 1900 with winds of 145 mph, it killed between 6,000 and 12,000 people. While windspeed gets the bright lights of the press, water is always the killer. 

 The 1900 Galveston hurricane is classified as the most devastating hurricane in the United States based upon the loss of life. However, hopefully we will never see a repeat of the 1780 hurricane season,  which recorded eight tropical systems between  June through November 1780, four of which were major hurricanes.  The first was the San Antonio hurricane, which hit St. Lucia, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic killing 5,000 people. The Louisiana  Hurricane hit New Orleans on August 24, 1780 with wind gusts over 160 mph and killed  25 people. On August 25, 1780, St. Kitts in the Leeward Islands was struck by a tropical storm.  On October 1, 1780 the Savanna-la-Mar Hurricane formed striking Jamaica, moved to Cuba and thereafter the Bahamas, causing no less than 3,000 deaths.  The second October hurricane is referred to as "The Great Hurricane" and it's loss of life has yet to be surpassed in the Atlantic/Carribean.  It was also a Cape Verde that devastated Barbados on October 10, 1780 with 200 mile an hour plus winds.  Thereafter it hit St. Vincent, St. Lucia, Martinique, St. Eustatius,  Puerto Rico, Dominique and Bermuda. This storm alone  was responsible for in excess of 22,000 lives  and remains the most vicious storm in the Atlantic/Carribean.  The Solano Hurricane was first noted near Jamaica on October 15, 1780, crossed the western end of Cuba and thereafter hit Apalachee bay in Florida on  October 20, 1780. An estimated 3,000 lives were lost.  A tropical cyclone struck Barbados and St. Lucia on October 23, 1780. It was not over yet. A tropical cyclone referred to as the New England Hurricane moved up the East Coast of the US, disrupting the British blockade of New England states on or about November 17, 1780. The Hurricane season of 1780 was responsible for well over 30,000 lives.

 A tropical wave that exited  Africa on October 10, 1998 became a tropical depression on October 22, 1998 in the south western Caribbean.  It quickly turned into Hurricane Mitch and on October 26, 1998 became a Category 5 Hurricane.  At peak intensity it maintained sustained winds of 180 mph off the shore of Honduras.  Hurricane Mitch  killed 11,000 souls with over 11,000 additional individuals missing. It's damage and loss of life was  attributed to massive flooding and mud slides throughout Central America. It was not done.  As a tropical storm, it hit Naples, Florida and passed through Jupiter, Florida on  November 5, 1998 ( Florida Sidewinder Season). It was tracked by the national hurricane center through November 9, 1998 causing winds of 90 MPH  as an extra tropical cyclone west of Ireland.  It's approximate death toll of 20,000 people displaced the Galveston 1900 Hurricane on the draconian list of loss of life.  At the end of the day in the Atlantic/Caribbean, "The Great Hurricane" of 1780 remains on top of that draconian list.

[DoomsDave]

This is so timely i wanna scream.

Harvey might have ended up like this.

Or Irma.