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Monday, September 16, 2019
Texas History Minute The hurricane is a force of nature that has driven fear into the hearts of coastal communities for generations. These storms are Dr. Ken Bridges sometimes hundreds of miles across with rainfall that can sometimes be measured in feet rather than inches. The devastation they have left behind has shaped the history of the Texas Gulf Coast.
important port city on Matagorda Bay, a bustling community with ports, shops, and a post office. Three disastrous hurricanes between 1875 and 1886 prompted residents to abandon the city. The 1875 storm killed 300 and many more died in a June 1886 hurricane. Another hurricane just a few weeks later inundated the city, and the survivors left. What ruins remain of Indianola are now 15 feet under water.
The first recorded hurricane to hit Galveston Island struck in 1766. Many others struck throughout Hurricanes that strike Texas form in the nineteenth century, including an 1818 hurricane that left the city the Atlantic Ocean or the Gulf of under four feet of water. The Mexico over the course of several Galveston Hurricane of 1900 was days. A tropical depression forms the worst natural disaster in when several storms come together into one rotating system. Once this American History. The storm system has sustained winds beyond devastated the island, flooding it to a depth of nine feet. The entire 39 miles per hour, it becomes a city was wrecked, with more than tropical storm. It hits hurricane strength with sustained winds of 74 8,000 dead. The storm caused the miles per hour. They are often slow- city’s government to collapse, ultimately leading to an entirely moving, which means the storm’s rainfall becomes even more intense new form of government to run the city and a new seawall to and more problematic. Hurricanes most often are seen between June and protect the island. November, but most are small and Galveston dismantled its slow city spin out into the ocean, never council form of government and approaching land. Typically, hurricanes forming in the Atlantic are instituted a commission form of government, with elected officials most often seen in the period from June through Septemeber, but storms directly in charge of particular city services, all serving under the forming in the Gulf of Mexico are mayor. The new city commission most often seen from September through November. However, they allowed Galveston to quickly rebuild and remain an important can form in many different ways in port city. It was able to survive unusual times of year. Hurricanes produce all types of weather-related the next hurricane that hit the city in 1915. Dozens of cities across disasters: deadly lightning, hail, powerful winds, torrential rains, and the nation copied Galveston’s new commission form of tornadoes. government in response. Though it avoided the fate of Indianola, The earliest recorded hurricanes in neighboring Houston was able to Texas date to the 1500s with the Spanish exploration of Texas and the surpass it and become the most important Texas port. Gulf of Mexico. Sailors, however, had known about hurricanes long The ability of hurricanes to before that in other parts of the world. The first recorded hurricane produce incredible damage from to strike Texas hit a Spanish merchant wind and rain cannot be overstated. Modern forecasting fleet just off Galveston Island in techniques employing Doppler November 1527, leaving 200 dead. In November 1590, a terrifying Gulf radar, reports from the ground and sea, and aerial reconnaissance hurricane wrecked dozens of ships flights into the eye of the caught unaware of the danger. hurricane itself give important Thousands of people died in that information on how the hurricane hurricane. is developing, its potential strength, and its direction. This The damage to livestock is now gives coastal residents up to devastating in itself. A 1791 hurricane hitting South Padre Island a week to prepare for a ruined the developing ranches in the devastating storm and evacuate if area. Ranches lost more than 50,000 needed. Centuries of experience with the wrath of hurricanes has head of cattle. taught forecasters important Hurricanes have changed the course lessons on the behavior of of Texas History. Racer’s Storm in hurricanes, lessons that can save 1837 was the first recorded storm to lives if people are willing to heed their words. track along the entire Texas coast, leaving scores dead in its wake. The damage overwhelmed the sparse Dr. Bridges is a Texas native, resources of the Republic of Texas at writer, and history professor. He the time. Indianola was once an can be reached at drkenbridges@gmail.com.
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