Elizabeth Rodriguez
EDTC 6341
Galveston Hurricane of 1900
July 6, 2013
ESSEA Galveston Hurricane of 1900
Reflection:
There have been so many deadly hurricanes and the Galveston Hurricane
of 1900 was perhaps one of the most deadly that this country has ever
seen. September 8, 1900 Galveston was headed for a night of terror. This
was a monster hurricane packing winds of up to 135 miles per hour. It was
a category 4 storm and it propelled a fifteen-foot surge of water. This was
considered one of the deadliest storms in America’s history!! In the
aftermath of the storm the city of Galveston built a sea wall to help protect
the city against future storms. Another important aspect that the city of
Galveston now has in place is an emergency evacuation system. This is
an important aspect of hurricane survival and perhaps something that was
learned because of the enormous amount of people who lost their lives
during the 1900 Hurricane.
The pictures reflect the devastation that Galveston woke up to the morning
after.
Elizabeth Rodriguez
EDTC 6341
Galveston Hurricane of 1900
July 6, 2013
Elizabeth Rodriguez
EDTC 6341
Galveston Hurricane of 1900
July 6, 2013
Prior Knowledge:
Since as far back as I can remember hurricanes have always been a scary
yet amazing weather phenomenon.
I have often wondered how people
can dedicate themselves to becoming hurricane trackers because this
required that you get as close as possible to the hurricane’s eye. The eye
of the storm is considered to be perhaps the most dangerous part of the
storm. The eye of the storm is the most recognizable part of the hurricane.
The eye can be found at the center of the storm and often is between 2050km in diameter.
Elizabeth Rodriguez
EDTC 6341
Galveston Hurricane of 1900
July 6, 2013
Strangely enough the eye of the storm is usually the focus of the hurricane
since this is the part of the storm where it rotates and where the lowest
pressure of the storm can be found. The Galveston Hurricane of 1900 was
no exception.
Personal Information and Ideas:
Can the outcome of such tragedy’s change if we were better prepared?
Let’s reflect on some things that perhaps can help us understand these
types of storms.
1. How accurate are the readings being received by the technology
tracking the hurricanes? Is our technology today where it needs to
Elizabeth Rodriguez
EDTC 6341
Galveston Hurricane of 1900
July 6, 2013
be to accurately track and report these hurricanes? The National
Hurricane Center is an organization
that specializes in storm tracking.
This website is notifying
authorities and the public on a minute-by-minute basis as it tracks
the hurricanes.
The image below gives us a brief overview of
everything the National Hurricane Center is reporting on.
2. Can we ever truly predict what Mother Nature will do? Although there is
no way of truly knowing if Mother Nature can or cannot be predictable I
would have to say that is can’t be. There have been many times where
storms are being tracked when all of a sudden it begins to take a different
Elizabeth Rodriguez
EDTC 6341
Galveston Hurricane of 1900
July 6, 2013
course. In these cases it is when people are the most vulnerable because
if a storm is headed for Houston and then all of a sudden it takes a turn to
Galveston like in our scenario, then the people will not have as much time
to prepare because they weren’t expecting the storm to head their way.
3. What are the mistakes made during the Galveston Hurricane that we
can learn from?
Sadly enough it is reported that the people living in
Galveston at the time of the great hurricane of 1900 had little to no
warning! I understand that perhaps the technology wasn’t there like it is
today so perhaps that played a huge role! Sadly enough so many people,
because they had weathered storms before in Galveston decided to ride
out the storm not knowing that this storm was one like never before. Which
leads me to my next questions.
4. Why aren't stricter rules, policies or procedures in place to "force"
people to evacuate? From all accounts it was believed that the storm
would not directly hit the Galveston coast so people did not see the
urgency to evacuate early enough.
When the weather centers started
seeing that the storm was actually changing directions it was perhaps too
late to get people to leave. People should not be allowed to ride out the
storms regardless if the storms are severe or not. Often times people don’t
believe the storms will directly hit where they are at, but because this type
of weather phenomenon is so unpredictable people should not be allowed
to stay home. People not wanting to leave all of their belongings behind is
Elizabeth Rodriguez
EDTC 6341
Galveston Hurricane of 1900
July 6, 2013
the type of mentality that can put people in harms way and ultimately be
the reason they lose their life.
5. Are notifications being received/sent quickly enough to evacuate or are
they being received too late? In some cases if the storm is allowed to be
predictable the citizens can be notified with ample time to evacuate. I
believe that several factors played a huge role in the loss of life during the
Galveston Hurricane of 1900. First one being that people believed the
hurricane was taking a different path, second people in that area had
weathered storms before.
ESS Analysis
E= Event
A= Atmosphere
L = Lithosphere
B = Biosphere
H = Hurricane
E>A
The Galveston Hurricane of 1900 was a monster hurricane packing winds
of up to 135 miles per hour. This hurricane was classified as a Cat-4
Storm and it propelled a fifteen-foot surge of water.
E>H
Elizabeth Rodriguez
EDTC 6341
Galveston Hurricane of 1900
July 6, 2013
The citizens of Galveston say this was a night of terror that quickly became
a lasting part of Galveston’s identity. The death toll was devastating and
will long be regarded as the deadliest storm in U.S. History.
E>H>B
Storm warning didn’t come into the Galveston area as quickly as they
should. Citizens in Galveston had weathered storms before so they didn’t
see this hurricane as a big threat. Initial warnings came in as a “Tropical
Storm”. It wasn’t until it was too late that the people realized this was more
than a tropical storm. Hurricanes have long since been an unpredictable
part Earth.
Develop a problem statement:
Ultimately the large amount of lost lives was mainly due because during
these times, the system in place to notify people of a hurricane was not
nearly as sophisticated as what we now have in place. Another important
factor is that people in Galveston were use to these storms.
Elizabeth Rodriguez
EDTC 6341
Galveston Hurricane of 1900
July 6, 2013
Resources:
The eye: The center of the storm. (2013, July 06). Retrieved from
http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gh)/guides/mtr/hurr/stages/cane/ey
e.rxml
The 1900 storm: Galveston, Texas. (2013, July 06). Retrieved from
http://www.1900storm.com
National hurricane center. (2013, July 01). Retrieved from
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov
The galveston hurricane of 1900. (2013, July 02). Retrieved from
http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/galveston.htm