Results tagged “galveston”

Not that Bush or Clinton--just the ex-presidents George H. W. Bush (41) and Bill Clinton. The two men, who formed that Bush-Clinton Coastal Recovery Fund last month, toured Hurricane Ike damage on Galveston Island. The Houston Chronicle reports that Bush described the scene as "abject devastation."

In 1900 the barrier island city Galveston was the shiny, growing metropolis of the Texas coast. Houston was a swampy backwater. On September 8th of that year a hurricane struck Galveston, killing over 6000 people in the city (10,000 - 12,000 overall) and destroying 3600 buildings. In the rebuilding process the city of Galveston was raised several feet and a seawall was erected to protect the city.