The morning of September 8 dawned with little fanfare in Galveston. Families went about their daily business, paying little attention to the downpours falling over the city. The heavy rains were part of a hurricane, but most Galvestonians were not alarmed. Tropical storms struck fairly regularly, although it had been many years since an intense storm had struck the island city.

View more Galveston history videos at www.galvestonhistory.org/plus.