Workers sort seed potatoes that will be used to restore inundated fields following the Sea Islands, South Carolina Hurricane, which struck on August 27, 1893. Victims of the Galveston, Texas, tidal waves cling to debris in this 1900 drawing by G. W. Peters, which was based on telegraphic reports. A typical scene in Galveston was this pile of debris at 21st and Avenue O. on September 9, 1900. Photo from the Clara Barton Collection, Library of Congress.

Part I: The Clara Barton Era
In the face of modern day hurricane seasons, we seldom take time to reflect how far we have come in our ability to predict and prepare for the worst. In the early years of the American Red Cross, there was no government system or agency in charge of disaster preparedness and relief, (FEMA would not be established until 1979) evacuation plans were unheard of, electronic communications such as telephones and telegraphs and storm forecasting were inconsistent and still in their infancy.

Ever since 1893, when a 72 year-old Clara Barton and her small team of workers mobilized to help the victims of the Sea Islands hurricane off the coast of South Carolina, the Red Cross has had to prepare itself for every hurricane season. At first it was believed that no one on the islands had survived the hurricane and that there was no need for any aid. However, it soon became apparent that thousands had survived and were dying from malnutrition and consuming contaminated water. The state and federal government refused requests for assistance to the survivors.

When Barton and her team reached the Sea Islands, she found a largely African-American community that had lost everything. The storm had washed crops, livestock housing and hundreds of victims out to sea. When Barton spoke to a reporter who visited the devastated islands, she summed up the grimness of the situation.

"I feel we are standing on the edge of a volcano."

Ashamed of the government that had turned its back on this community, Barton's Red Cross fed more than 30,000 of the homeless, provided medical help for the sick and injured and even supplied seeds to rehabilitate the farmers who had lost their crops. After nearly a year of Red Cross support, the community was back on its feet as a new crop of cotton bloomed in the fields.

The nation's deadliest storm to date remains the hurricane that struck Galveston, Texas, on September 8, 1900, claiming more than 6,000 lives. By today's measurements, it would have been classified as a Category 4 hurricane with winds estimated at 135 miles an hour. In addition, a tidal storm surge flooded the entire city with ocean water resulting in demolished bridges, buildings and railroad cars and severed all communications.

Unusual weather phenomena had been observed in Galveston in the days prior and a storm was predicted in the region, but no one was prepared for the strength of the storm and tidal surge that came ashore. Confusion among weather bureaus, overconfidence in the port city's ability to withstand a hurricane, the reluctance of officials to declare a hurricane emergency, no system of evacuation and safe inland shelters all led to the incredible loss of life and months of relief and rehabilitation work for Clara Barton and the Red Cross.

Among the first communities to send aid to the devastated Galveston were the farmers and victims of the Sea Islands hurricane of 1893.

Part II: The 1920s and the Rise of the Red Cross Chapter
Following World War I, the American Red Cross experienced extraordinary growth among its chapters nationwide. From a total of only 107 chapters in 1914, the number leaped to its all-time peak of 3,864 in 1918.
more...

Part III: The 1950s and the Decade of Disaster
During the "Atomic Age," America reached new heights of prosperity brought on by the post-war rise of business and industry. The population grew rapidly as a result of the "baby boom," and more communities were established along hurricane-vulnerable coastal areas.
more...

Top of Page