Galveston Hurricane of 1900

The 1900 Galveston hurricane was a catastrophic tropical cyclone that became the deadliest natural disaster in the history of the United States.^¹ The strongest storm of the 1900 Atlantic hurricane season, it left between 6,000 and 12,000 fatalities; the number most cited in official reports is 8,000.^¹ Most of these deaths occurred in and near Galveston, Texas, after the storm surge inundated the coastline city with 8 to 12 ft of water.^¹ As of 2026, it remains the fourth deadliest Atlantic hurricane on record.^¹ In addition to the number killed, the storm destroyed about 7,000 buildings in Galveston, which included 3,636 demolished homes; every dwelling in the city suffered some degree of damage.^¹ The hurricane left approximately 10,000 people in the city homeless, out of a total population of fewer than 38,000.^¹ The disaster ended the Golden Era of Galveston; the hurricane alarmed potential investors, who turned to Houston instead.^¹ In response to the storm, three engineers designed and oversaw plans to raise the Gulf of Mexico shoreline of Galveston Island by 17 ft (5.2 m) and erect a 10 mi (16 km) seawall.^¹