Cora Mendez
EDTC 6341.61
April 11, 2012
Cycle A: Galveston Hurricane of 1900
1.
Read and analyze the dust storm scenario.
In late August and early September a tropical storm tracked across the Caribbean Sea and passed
between Cuba and Florida. But this storm, after strengthening into a hurricane just past Florida,
would continue northwest on a path directly toward Galveston. The hurricane pushed a wall of
water over 15 feet deep onto the island that, at its highest point, was only 8.7 feet above sea
level. The wind whipped through Galveston at what was later estimated to be Category 4 speeds
(131-155 mph). A 150 mph gust would have a pressure of 100 pounds per square foot. The
lowest barometric pressure recorded during the storm was 28.44 inches. (NOAA later estimated
that the pressure near the storm's eye was probably closer to 27.49 inches.)
On Sept. 9, Galveston lay in desolation. More than 6,000 people lost their lives to what remains
the deadliest hurricane to ever hit the United States (some estimates range as high as 12,000
deaths). In addition to the thousands dead, the storm left millions of dollars of destruction in its
wake. After making landfall at Galveston, the storm tracked north through Texas and then into
Oklahoma and Kansas. The remnants of the storm made it northeastward across the Great Lakes
and into Canada before passing north of Halifax on Sept. 12 and disappearing into the North
Atlantic.
Now that Hurricane Katrina has once again awakened us to the threat of extra strong hurricanes,
your group has been called upon to conduct an Earth system analysis of the 1900 Galveston
Hurricane as a case study in how to prepare for this increasingly dangerous threat from Mother
Nature.
2.
List personal understandings, ideas, or hunches?
Hurricanes are powerful storms that consist of heavy rain and strong winds. Meteorologist can
now forecast hurricanes several days in advance giving people time to plan for the storm.
People prepare for hurricanes by stocking up on nonperishable goods, candles, water, and
flashlights. People board up their windows to prevent the strong winds from breaking them.
Today people are better prepared for hurricanes than the people of the early 1900’s. I think the
people at the time did not have much prior knowledge about hurricanes. Therefore, they were
unaware of the magnitude of destruction such a storm could cause. If they did not know much of
such storms, then how could they possibly know how to prepare for the storm? It is because of
them and their experiences that we know how to prepare for such storms. We look at the past
and study the storms, so we know how to prepare for future hurricanes.
3.
List what you know about the event.
Sphere effect on sphere
B>L Humans need to clean up after the storm which lead to a rise in dumping trash on our lands
in order to get rid of all the debris left over from the storm.
L>B A decrease in vegetation may result in increased soil erosion because there are fewer roots
to hold the soil in place.
B>A Many trees are broken or uprooted due to the strong winds which will lead to an increase
in carbon dioxide in the air that those trees were removing from the air.
H>L The excessive water deposited in bodies of water can overflow and spill over onto the land
damaging levies and altering the land.
A>B Excessive moisture in the atmosphere causes higher heat and humidity for humans.
Event effect on sphere
E>B The hurricane will affect animals and humans by destroying their shelters.
E>B Some animals and people will lose their life as a result of the hurricane.
E> H Natural sources of water will be polluted by flying debris from the storm.
E> H> B The strong winds and excessive rain cause water to rise above normal levels in natural
bodies of water which leads to flooding, deaths, animals, and plants drowning.
E> B Many crops are lost due to rain and over flooding.
E>B People that work outdoors are out of work until it dries and things return to normal.
E>L Strong winds cause land erosion and sand dune erosion on the beach.
E> A The air is polluted from the stench of animal deaths and stagnant water.
E> B The stagnant water after the hurricane is a breeding ground for mosquitos that could cause
disease to humans and animals
4.
List what is unknown.
The exact number of casualties is unknown.
Did they have warnings at the time?
Did they have evacuations in place at the time? If so did the people evacuate, and how far did
they evacuate?
Was there meteorologist at the time?
How far in advance could they track the hurricane?
Did the people have enough notice to seek shelter?
Did the houses back then meet hurricane specification standards to withstand a hurricane?
How prepared are people today for hurricanes?
How percentage of people actually take the hurricane warnings seriously?
Do we have warning sirens that can be heard past the city limits?
Can the path and trajectory of a hurricane be more exact much sooner?
What are we currently doing to better track hurricanes?
When will we get hit by another hurricane?
How much rainfall each hurricane will bring?
We don’t know how strong the hurricane winds will be, because the wind speed is constantly
changing.
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6.
List what needs to be done.
More education on hurricanes especially to people that lack technological advances like
internet or television.
Get better warning sirens.
Develop equipment that can more accurately track the path of the hurricane.
Announce sites that will provide water, ice, food rations in advance before the hurricane
hits.
Provide more assurances for residence properties, so they are more willing to evacuate
their homes when necessary.
Make sure there are enough sand bags for each household.
People need to stock up on enough food, water, batteries, candles, and if possible a
generator.
Provide generators to people that need electricity for medical equipment and can’t afford
a generator.
People need to have their own plan of action for shelter and evacuation.
Making accommodations for pets.
Open up sufficient shelter in different locations.
Make sure drainage ditches are clean to allow water to flow and avoid floods.
Develop a problem statement.
Hurricanes are a dangerous threat from Mother Nature, but if we study hurricanes from
the past, we can be better prepared for hurricanes in the future.
Band width of the hurricane of 1900
Path of hurricane of 1900
House in Galveston on Avenue N, October 15, 1900
So many people died that corpses were piled onto carts for burial at sea. When that did not work
because the bodies were being washed onto the shore, they began to bury the bodies.
Works cited
http://www.livestrong.com/article/217888-seven-causes-of-air-pollution/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Galveston_Hurricane_%281900%29_SWA.JPG
http://www.deadlystorms.com/storms/1900/1900%20Galveston/index.htm