history. a horrible event commemorated by this poignant statue on the galveston seawall. when the storm passed, survivors emerged to a galveston they did not recognize. city streets filled with mountains of rubble. the debris from the houses and properties accumulated during the course of the storm. it became a wall of debris that protected the northern part of the island from the rest of the storm and water. we know that that debris line extended for maybe 2 miles and in some places, it was his two stories heights. jon: people dug through the rubble really searching for survivors, but locating virtually none. they found only bodies. among them, ten catholic nuns and 90 orphans. still tied together, only three of the st. mary s orphans survived the storm. i often think about what they would have experienced walking out their door on the next day and looking at what had happened
and what was around them. jon: is better community would not be beaten. neighbors pitched in helping neighbors and finding solace wherever possible. it became a place a priority for the city because it was a place of healing, it was a place that was nonreligious, nonpolitical. it was a place where people came together. jon: galveston s grand opera house though severely damaged in the storm, became a source of comfort and hope for the shaken residents of a once grand city. they could group together, or they might come and laugh and forget about everything. jon: all of the great storm 1900 brought this booming city to its knees, the people of galveston rebuilt and fortified, constructing a seawall bolstered by granite boulders, 17 feet high and 6 miles long. it will protect them from future
jon: we ve just closed up the first month of the 2017 hurricane season, thankfully with no major storms hitting the u.s. as we look at these beautiful images of texas, we are reminded that the next katrina or andrew could be brewing any day now. as bad as those two storms were, it s nothing compared to what hit the texas coast back in 1900. at that time, the weather service did not name hurricanes, but even without a name, the great storm will never be forgotten. the idyllic beaches of galveston, texas, tourists come each year and frolicking on the shores. it s hard to believe seeing it today that this peaceful place was the epicenter of the greatest natural disaster in the history of the united states. it was 1900 and galveston was
jon: the great storm took the lives of 1 out of every six gala stony and s. some who did survive simply moved away. galveston would never again be the biggest city in texas. the months and years after, the determination and ingenuity of those who stayed breathe life back into a community that mother nature left for dead. the spirit of the people of galveston is really what s important to remember and it s that spirit of we are not going to give up, we are going to make this our home, we are going to handle a star if it happens, but we are going to come back and still be a great city. jon: hard to believe, 10-12,000 people died in that storm and even here in new york, they had fundraisers, there was a big fundraiser at the waldorf and the keynote speaker, a guy name samuel clemens, mark twain. they raise $50,000 to help with the rebuilding of galveston, which in those days was a huge
buildings and homes. in 1900, the storm came across the island and pushed water and wind across the island, destroying most of the houses and many lives were lost. jon: in an instant, half of galveston was gone. homes along the shoreline ripped from their foundations, the storm smashing kindling. one of the horrible stories of that terrible night took place at st. mary s orphanage, a catholic home for children bit rate on the shoreline. nuns, terrified tethered themselves to their children, determined to protect the little ones from being swept away. the nuns decided it would be safer to tie the children together in groups of ten. jon: the sisters brave attempt to save lives would be in vain. by the time the howling winds subsided and the ocean returned to its normal level, an estimated 12,000 americans were dead, 6,000 of them right here in galveston. it is still to this day, the deadly national disaster in