1900 Great Storm Statue

Artist David Moore created the 1900 Storm Memorial. The 10-foot tall bronze statue, installed on the hurricane's 100th anniversary in 2000. Located between 51st & 45th on the Seawall.
The year was 1900, and the people of Galveston, Texas were going about their daily lives, unaware of the destruction that was about to hit them. The weather forecast predicted a mild storm, but what they got was much worse. It was the deadliest natural disaster in U.S. history - the 1900 Galveston hurricane.
The storm began on September 8, 1900, with winds reaching over 100 miles per hour. The citizens of Galveston tried to prepare for the storm, but there was little they could do. The island was just 8.7 feet above sea level, making it vulnerable to storm surges. As the storm approached, waves up to 15 feet high began to crash onto the island. The people watched as their homes were destroyed and the streets flooded.
The storm raged on for over 12 hours, leaving a path of destruction in its wake. The winds were so strong that they blew trains off their tracks and ripped buildings apart. By the time the storm had passed, 8,000 buildings had been destroyed and over 6,000 people were dead or missing. It's estimated that over 10,000 people were left homeless.
In the aftermath of the storm, the people of Galveston worked tirelessly to rebuild their city. They raised the island's elevation by up to 17 feet, making it much less vulnerable to storm surges. They also built a seawall to protect the city from future storms.
Today, the city remembers the storm through the 1900 Storm Museum and the Storm Memorial. The Storm Memorial, also known as the "Bentley Monument," is a statue on the seawall that honors the victims of the storm. The statue shows a family holding on to each other as the storm rages around them. The meaning behind the statue is to honor those who lost their lives and to remind us of the power of nature.
The 1900 Galveston hurricane was a tragic event in the city's history, but it also showed the resilience and strength of the people of Galveston. They rebuilt their city and made it better than ever before. Today, Galveston is a thriving city with a rich history and a bright future

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