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