Hours and minutes -- that's all the time they had.  And that was only if they believed the stories being told around town about "a storm" in the Gulf.

Hours and minutes -- not days for preparation; no time to board up windows; no time for a trip to the mercantile to stock up on water and food.

Hours and minutes -- no time to leave the island, no evacuation, no time to pick a safe place for shelter.

On September 8, 1900, the citizens of Galveston Island had hours and minutes between the time they realized a storm was approaching to the time it ripped across Galveston, producing a storm surge that would blanket the island with several feet of churning sea water and debris, leaing what had been a growing cosmopolitan city largely in ruin.

Although The 1900 Storm is a tragic tale involving death and devastation, in the days, months and years to follow, the story changed to one of survival, hope and determination.  The 30,000 surviving citizens of the island were determined to see their community rise above the rubble created on that day with the hope that the city they loved would grow and prosper.

What began with the formation of the Central Relief Committee the day following the disaster ended with the completion of two major civil engineering projects and a town on its way back from the brink.  By 1901, the city hired engineers to raise the entire city.  By 1911, five hundred city blocks had been elevated, some to a level of 11 feet.  In 1902, construction began on the now famous Seawall.  The current span of the Seawall is just over 10 miles, built in 6 sections, with the last section completed in 1961.

In his book, "Galveston: A History,"  David G. McComb wrote, "Galveston's response to the great storm was its finest hour."

If you would like more information about The 1900 Storm, please visit www.1900storm.com, www.rosenberg-library.org, or www.galvestonhistory.org.