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PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CORPUS CHRISTI TX

728 AM CDT MON SEP 14 2009



...THE NINETIETH ANNIVERSARY OF THE 1919 CORPUS CHRISTI HURRICANE...



NINETY YEARS AGO ON THIS DATE...THE DEADLIEST HURRICANE TO AFFECT

THE COASTAL BEND OF TEXAS MADE LANDFALL BETWEEN BAFFIN BAY AND

CORPUS CHRISTI. THE HURRICANE DEVASTATED THE FLORIDA KEYS AS A

CATEGORY 4 STORM ON SEPTEMBER 10 1919. THE HURRICANE BECAME A

LARGE STORM OVER THE GULF OF MEXICO AND MAINTAINED ITS STRENGTH AS

A CATEGORY 4 STORM THROUGH THE 13TH OF SEPTEMBER. DURING THIS TIME

WITHOUT THE ASSISTANCE OF SATELLITE IMAGERY AND RADARS IN THE

EARLY 1900S...METEOROLOGISTS LOST TRACK OF THIS STORM AS SHIP

REPORTS FROM THE GULF OF MEXICO STOPPED.



EARLY IN THE 20TH CENTURY...CITIZENS OF CORPUS CHRISTI CAME TO

BELIEVE THAT THIS SPARKLING CITY BY THE SEA WAS SAFE FROM

HURRICANES AFTER SEVERAL NEAR MISSES OCCURRED DURING THE EARLY

1900S...SUCH AS THE CATEGORY 4 STORMS THAT MADE LANDFALL AT

GALVESTON IN 1915 AND SOUTH OF BAFFIN BAY IN 1916. THERE WAS ALSO

THE BELIEF THAT THE BARRIER ISLANDS WOULD SERVE AS PROTECTION FROM

ANY DEVASTATING STORM SURGE.



BY THE EARLY MORNING ON THE FOURTEENTH OF SEPTEMBER...TIDES BEGAN

TO RISE SHARPLY AT PORT ARANSAS WHILE THE PRESSURE STEADILY

DROPPED AS THE NORTHWEST WINDS INCREASED. THE STORM WOULD WEAKEN

SLIGHTLY BEFORE REACHING THE COAST. IT MADE LANDFALL IN THE

SOUTHERN COASTAL BEND AS A CATEGORY 3 STORM WITH WINDS OF 115 MPH

AND A CENTRAL PRESSURE AROUND 950 MILLIBARS.



BUT THE LARGE STORM GENERATED A DOME OF WATER THAT WOULD SERVE TO

PRODUCE THE HIGHEST STORM SURGE IN THE CORPUS CHRISTI AREA ON

RECORD. THE STORM PRODUCED A STORM SURGE THAT AFFECTED THE ENTIRE

TEXAS COAST INTO LOUISIANA. THE HIGHEST STORM SURGE WAS AT CORPUS

CHRISTI AT 16 FEET. THE STORM SURGE WAS 13 FEET AT PORT OCONNOR

AND 9 FEET AT GALVESTON.



THE STORM WAS SIMILAR TO HURRICANE IKE OF 2008 IN REGARDS TO STORM

SURGE AFFECTING A LARGE AREA...WEAKENING BEFORE LANDFALL AND

HAVING A LARGE EYE OF AROUND 35 NAUTICAL MILES.



THE DAMAGE WAS CATASTROPHIC IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA AS WATER REACHED

11.5 FEET AND DEBRIS WAS PILED AS HIGH AS 16 FEET. DAMAGE WAS

ESTIMATED AT 20 MILLION DOLLARS WHICH ROUGHLY CORRELATES TO AROUND

450 MILLION DOLLARS TODAY.



BUT THE NORTH BEACH AREA WAS WHERE THE STORM WOULD BECOME DEADLY.

WITH WARNINGS BEING ISSUED JUST ON THAT MORNING OF SEPTEMBER 14

AND THEN NOT HEEDED, MANY PEOPLE STAYED IN A DANGEROUS AREA

SUSCEPTIBLE TO THE STORM SURGE. HUNDREDS WERE SWEPT INTO NUECES

BAY AFTER THEIR HOMES WERE DESTROYED. SOME SURVIVED THEIR TRIP

ACROSS THE NUECES BAY TO WHITES POINT. BUT MANY PERISHED IN THE

SURGE. THE OFFICIAL DEATH TOLL WAS 284 PEOPLE. BUT THIS IS

CONSIDERED TO BE AN UNDERESTIMATE AS CITY OFFICIALS AT THE TIME

DID NOT WANT TO SCARE AWAY TOURISM. THE TOTAL WAS LIKELY BETWEEN

600 AND 1000 PEOPLE.



THE CITIZENS OF CORPUS CHRISTI WERE RESILIENT IN REBUILDING THEIR

CITY. ON THE SEVENTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE HURRICANE...THE DEEP WATER

PORT AT CORPUS CHRISTI WAS OPENED IN 1926 WHICH WOULD LEAD TO

GROWTH OF THE CITY DURING THE REMAINDER OF THE 20TH CENTURY. A

SEAWALL WAS CONSTRUCTED IN 1940 TO PREPARE FOR FUTURE HURRICANES

AND THE DEVASTATION POSSIBLE DUE TO STORM SURGE. THE LESSON

BEING...BE PREPARED!