Sign-In
Cart
The Island That Died: Galveston, September 8, 1900 Series Name: American Disasters Series Number: Book 1
Paperback
Series: American Disasters, Book 1
Technology & EngineeringWeather
Publisher: Independently Published
Published: Aug 5 2026
Pages: 60
Weight: 0.36
Height: 0.12 Width: 8.50 Depth: 11.00
Language: English
On the morning of September 8, 1900, Galveston, Texas was the richest city in the Lone Star State. By nightfall, one in six of its residents was dead.
The Galveston Hurricane of 1900 remains the deadliest natural disaster in American history - a Category 4 hurricane whose fifteen-foot storm surge swept an entire island city that sat less than nine feet above sea level. Between 6,000 and 12,000 people died in a few hours. No single storm, earthquake, flood, or fire in American history has come close to killing as many people.
The Island That Died tells the complete story in five parts.
The Queen City of the Gulf - In 1900, Galveston had more millionaires per capita than almost any city in America. The Strand commercial district was called the Wall Street of the Southwest. Its ornate Victorian mansions were among the finest in Texas. And the island sat less than nine feet above sea level, with no seawall and no evacuation plan.
The Storm - Isaac Cline, the Weather Bureau's Galveston meteorologist, rode through the rising water by horse and buggy on the morning of September 8, warning residents to seek higher ground. The Cuban meteorologists who might have given the city more warning had been dismissed by Washington. By afternoon, both bridges to the mainland were swept away. The island was cut off.
The Human Stories - The Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word tied groups of children to their waists with clothesline, hoping to keep the children with an adult if the buildings collapsed. The buildings collapsed. All ten Sisters died. Ninety of ninety-three children died. Three boys survived by clinging to a floating tree. Isaac Cline's house was pushed off its foundation. His wife Cora never rose above the water.
The Aftermath - Eight thousand dead on a barrier island in September Texas heat, with no infrastructure, no roads, no refrigeration. The first attempt to bury the dead at sea failed when the Gulf returned them. Mass cremation. Clara Barton, 78 years old, personally directing the relief operation for two months. Donations from millionaires and from a little girl who sent ten cents.
The Seawall - Rather than abandon the island, Galveston built one of the most significant civil engineering projects in Texas history: a 17-foot concrete seawall and a project that raised the entire island. When a comparable hurricane struck in 1915, the death toll in Galveston was eight.
The Island That Died is Book 1 of the American Disasters series.
Also from
Scott, T.
The Forest Floor: Six Unsolved Cases from the Ozarks Series Name: Ozark Crime Series Number: Book 7
Scott, T.
Paperback
A Defence of Some Important Scripture Doctrines, Being a Reply to Certain Objection Urged Against Th
Scott, T.
Paperback
Also in
Weather
The Secret World of Weather: How to Read Signs in Every Cloud, Breeze, Hill, Street, Plant, Animal, and Dewdrop
Gooley, Tristan
Paperback
Modern Marine Weather: From Time-honored Traditional Knowledge to the Latest Technology
Burch, David
Paperback
Into the Storm: Violent Tornadoes, Killer Hurricanes, and Death-Defying Adventures in Extreme Weather
Timmer, Reed
Tilin, Andrew
Paperback
Cloud Warriors: Deadly Storms, Climate Chaos--And the Pioneers Creating a Revolution in Weather Forecasting
Weber, Thomas E.
Hardcover
The Pocket Cloud Book Updated Edition: How to Understand the Skies in Association with the Met Office
Hamblyn, Richard
The Met Office
Hardcover
A Cloud a Day: (Cloud Appreciation Society Book, Uplifting Positive Gift, Cloud Art Book, Daydreamers Book)
Pretor-Pinney, Gavin
Hardcover
Weather: A Fully Illustrated, Authoritative and Easy-To-Use Guide
Zim, Herbert S.
Lehr, Paul E.
Burnett, R. Will
Paperback
What Stands in a Storm: A True Story of Love and Resilience in the Worst Superstorm in History
Cross, Kim
Paperback
Field Guide to the Weather: Learn to Identify Clouds and Storms, Forecast the Weather, and Stay Safe
Henning, Ryan
Paperback
The California Sky Watcher: Understanding Weather Patterns and What Comes Next
Selby, William A.
Paperback
The Weather Wizard's Cloud Book: A Unique Way to Predict the Weather Accurately and Easily by Reading the Clouds
Rubin, Louis Decimus, Jr.
Rubin, Louis D., Sr.
Duncan, Jim
Paperback
An Ocean of Air: Why the Wind Blows and Other Mysteries of the Atmosphere
Walker, Gabrielle
Paperback
Fifteen Hurricanes That Changed the Carolinas: Powerful Storms, Climate Change, and What We Do Next
Barnes, Jay
Paperback
Modern Marine Weather: From Time-honored Traditional Knowledge to the Latest Technology
Burch, David
Hardcover
The West Without Water: What Past Floods, Droughts, and Other Climatic Clues Tell Us about Tomorrow
Malamud-Roam, Frances
Ingram, B. Lynn
Paperback
Instant Weather Forecasting 6th Edition: You Can Predict the Weather
Keeling, Simon
Watts, Alan
Paperback
Hearts in the Ice: The Adventures of the First Two Women to Overwinter Solo in Svalbard
Strøm, Hilde Fålun
Sorby, Sunniva
Paperback
Climate Injustice: Why We Need to Fight Global Inequality to Combat Climate Change
Otto, Friederike
Hardcover
The Weather Handbook: The Essential Guide to How Weather Is Formed and Develops
Watts, Alan
Paperback
Angry Weather: Heat Waves, Floods, Storms, and the New Science of Climate Change
Otto, Friederike
Paperback
The Barometer Handbook: A Modern Look at Barometers and Applications of Barometric Pressure
Burch, David
Hardcover
Unruly Waters: How Rains, Rivers, Coasts, and Seas Have Shaped Asia's History
Amrith, Sunil
Hardcover
The Barometer Handbook: A Modern Look at Barometers and Applications of Barometric Pressure
Burch, David
Paperback
It's Raining Frogs and Fishes: Four Seasons of Natural Phenomena and Oddities of the Sky
Dennis, Jerry
Paperback
Surviving Extreme Heat: What to Do Before, During, and After Disaster Strikes
Kavanagh, J. M.
Paperback
The Two-Mile Time Machine: Ice Cores, Abrupt Climate Change, and Our Future - Updated Edition
Alley, Richard B.
Paperback
Reconstructing Earth's Climate History: Inquiry-Based Exercises for Lab and Class
Pound, Kate
St John, Kristen
Leckie, R. Mark
Paperback
Minnesota Weather Almanac: Second Edition, Completely Updated for the New Normals
Seeley, Mark W.
Paperback
Hunting Nature's Fury: A Storm Chaser's Obsession with Tornadoes, Hurricanes, and Other Natural Disasters
Hill, Roger
Bronski, Peter
Paperback
Field Guide to the Weather: Learn to Identify Clouds and Storms, Forecast the Weather, and Stay Safe
Henning, Ryan
Hardcover
Wild Words: A Collection of Words from Around the World That Describe Happenings in Nature
Hodges, Kate
Hardcover
Immeasurable Weather: Meteorological Data and Settler Colonialism from 1820 to Hurricane Sandy
Grossman, Sara J.
Paperback
The Turbulent Waters of Climate Action: Public Trust, Public Attention, and Climate Policy Intractability in Developed Countries
Groff, Stephen P.
Hardcover
Weather things you Always Wanted to Know: The Inside Story on the Outside Story
Sealls, Alan
Hardcover
The Extreme Weather Survivial Manual: 214 Tips for Surviving Nature's Worst
The Editors of Outdoor Life
Mersereau, Dennis
Paperback
Engineering the Oceans: Modern Marine Technology, Systems, and Applications for Sustainable and Smart Maritime Development
Padgett, Sean S.
Paperback
The burning skies and rising water: Twin threat of heatwave and flooding in America
Hussain, Maddison
Paperback
GOES-U Launch: Everything you need to know about the fourth and final satellite in the (GOES) - R Series
Battle, Charles D.
Paperback
Weather Modification: Programs, Problems, Policy, and Potential
Congressional Research Service
Paperback
Wacky Weather Wonders: Fun Facts for Kids: Exploring Rainbows, Storms, Clouds, and the Science of the Skies
Jablonski, Richard
Paperback