Hurricanes are among the most extreme weather events that occur on the Texas Coast. These storms are capable of killing thousands and destroying coastal towns. No city or town on the Texas coast is immune from these devastating storms. Each coastal community should be prepared to cope with the destruction and devastation hurricanes can cause.

Since the first settlers colonized on the Texas coast, hurricanes and tropical storms have plagued them. In 1900 a devastating storm struck Galveston, Texas where at least 6,000 of the 40,000 inhabitants drowned. The storm surge completely covered the island, damaging or demolishing most of the buildings in the city at the time. See Figure 1. As a result of this catastrophe, a seawall was constructed to protect the city from future storms. The seawall has protected Galveston from a repeat of the total devastation which occurred prior to its construction. However, in 1915, another storm caused 275 deaths in Galveston, which prompted an extension of the seawall. The construction of the seawall illustrates how people have tried to protect themselves from the destructive forces of hurricanes. Table 1 shows some Texas Hurricane facts. See Table 2 for a list of Major Texas Hurricanes.