With 600 miles of coastline and more than 5.2 million residents living in coastal counties, Texas is one of the most vulnerable states to the destructive forces of a hurricane.  Steps must be taken to prepare and protect the state from a major catastrophe.

Texas is the site of the most deadly natural disaster to strike the United States. The 'Great Storm' struck Galveston on Sept. 8, 1900, killing more than 6,000 people.  While the Lone Star State has not been hit by a comparable Category 4 hurricane in the past century, the possibility is ever present.

'It has occurred and will likely occur again,' said National Weather Service meteorologist Gene Hafele. 'We just don’t know when.'

Forecasters agree that increased hurricane activity is expected for the foreseeable future.

'We’re still in an active hurricane cycle, and those tend to last 20 to 25 years,' said Dennis Feltgen, meteorologist for the National Hurricane Center.

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The 2007 season is expected to include a total of seven hurricanes, including three major storms, with at least one of them making landfall in the United States.  In reference to the 2007 season, Accuweather.com Chief Meteorologist Joe Bastardi warns, 'We’ll see storms on the prowl in the Gulf again.'

In September 2005, the state of Texas took in several hundred thousand evacuees from Hurricane Katrina and suffered a direct hit from Hurricane Rita less than a month later. The resulting crisis prompted Gov. Rick Perry to appoint a task force to determine what was learned from the storms.

Six months later, Perry implemented task force recommendations on evacuating residents with special needs, including the elderly, the disabled, those without transportation and those with pets; command, control and communications; traffic management; fuel availability; and public awareness.

Some cities in Texas have been recognized for their preparedness efforts. Galveston, which is about 50 miles southeast of Houston and has a population of 57,000, has received the 2006 Excellence in Emergency Management Award for its joint efforts with the University of Texas Medical Branch during the Hurricane Rita evacuations. 

Galveston is also well prepared in terms of infrastructure. After the 1900 hurricane, protection from the sea was a priority in rebuilding.  A seawall that is now more than 10 miles long and approximately 17 feet high was completed in 1962. The entire grade of the city was also raised to 15 feet.

The seawall, which today protects more than one-third of Galveston’s oceanfront, was completed in 1962 and cost nearly $15 billion to build.

When a major storm hit Galveston in 1915, only eight people were killed thanks to the protection of the seawall. Nevertheless, 590 miles of coastline remain unprotected by a seawall, exposed and vulnerable to the threat of catastrophe.

Read more about Texas’ vulnerability to hurricanes:

http://www.therealgalveston.com/Seawall.html

http://www.governor.state.tx.us/priorities/health_safety/hurricane