The Galveston Hurricane
Coastal towns are changed forever when hurricane winds strike. On September 8, 1900, the citizens of Galveston, Texas, found out how true this would be for them. The city was ravaged by winds that reached nearly 130 miles per hour. Unlike today’s world, where weather stations are often able to give warnings about impending hurricanes, leaving people time to prepare for upcoming storms, those living in the 1900s had no way of knowing the magnitude of what was about to happen. When the storm was over, one-sixth of Galveston’s population—approximately 10,000 people—was gone. The death toll was staggering, but especially sad were the deaths of many children. At St. Mary’s orphanage in Galveston, all but three of the children living there were reported to have perished that day. Thousands were left homeless after the hurricane. Volunteer agencies such as the Red Cross rushed to help those in need. Through the caring of others and the help of its citizens, Galveston managed to rebuild; however, those who survived the hurricane would be forever changed by what had occurred.
Question
1. What does the text imply about the hurricane of 1900 and the events surrounding the storm?
a. Galveston was prepared for a storm of this magnitude.
b. The citizens were taken by surprise at the force of the storm.
c. People who live in coastal towns are always ready to leave when bad weather erupts.
d. Many people in Galveston were homeless before the storm ever hit.
2. Choose the best definition for the word coastal as it is used in the first paragraph.
a. a slope or area that is downhill
b. a rural area
c. a town built near the ocean
d. a city that is a tourist attraction
3. Which statement is not a fact about the story?
a. The Galveston hurricane occurred on September 8, 1900.
b. Winds from the hurricane reached nearly 130 mph.
c. Citizens of Galveston knew the risk they were taking by living in a coastal city.
d. Many children died as a result of the Galveston hurricane.
4. Where in the text can you find information about the number of deaths as a result of the hurricane?
a. the title of the text
b. the first paragraph
c. the second paragraph
d. the third paragraph
5. Which would be the best source to learn about other hurricanes that have happened in Texas?
a. a newspaper article about the hurricane that hit Galveston on September 8th
b. an encyclopedia entry about hurricanes
c. a research paper comparing the world’s worst hurricanes and tsunamis
d. a book about natural disasters in the state of Texas
