One hundred years ago on September 14, 1919 Corpus Christi was devasted by an unexpected hurricane. The official death toll was 286, but it is believed between 500 to 750 people actually died in the storm. North Beach was nearly swept clean, with only three buildings out of over 299 left standing. Downtown Corpus Christi was flooded to a depth of up to 12 feet by the storm, while people living on the bluff were unaware of the devastation occurring so close by. After the storm the men of the city were conscripted to help look for bodies, clear debris and return the city to normalcy. The city was galvanized to action and out of the chaos it was able to obtain designation for the Port of Corpus Christi.
Jim Moloney will help us recall this disaster.
