The Physical Rebuilding
Waxman, Olivia B. "How Texas Rebuilt after the Deadliest Hurricane in U.S. History." Time, August 29, 2017.
The first step in the program was the building of a massive seawall made of solid concrete. Beginning the construction in October, 1902, it was not officially completed until July, 1904. It was built to rise 17 feet above the mean low tide, a base of 6 feet wide, and a top of 5 feet wide. The wall initially stretched 3 1/2 miles along the oceanfront, but after later enlargement, it now stretches 10 miles. The side of the wall facing the ocean was curved, ideally being able to absorb more shock. (1)
Boyd, John, and Craig Hlavaty. "Photos of the 1900 Storm in Galveston."
Next Step
The next step in the program after the building of the seawall, was the raising of the grade of the entire city. This was necessary to provide support for the seawall, to facilitate drainage and sewage systems, and to prevent water from reaching dangerous levels in the town. These operations began in 1904 and were not completed until July, 1910. In order to make this happen, a 2 1/2 mile long and 20 feet deep canal was cut through the residential district. Four hydraulic hopper dredges took sand and transported it into areas that needed to be raised. All "street car tracks, fire hydrants, and water pipes had to be raised, as did any trees or shrubs that homeowners wanted saved." After this, the canal itself was filled in and the 350 houses that were removed to build it were returned to their original sites. (2)
Sea Wall, Galveston, Texas." Galveston and Texas History Center.
According to Erik Larson's Isaac's Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History, "The city fathers vowed to rebuild...[The] city's great plans [included building] a seawall and behind it a shining new Galveston...This time Galveston built the wall. It rose seventeen feet above the beach, and stood behind an advance barrier of granite boulders twenty-seven feet in width...They raised the altitude of the entire city...[with the] unintended benefit [as] it ensured that all corpses still buried within the city remained well interred." (3)
Erik Larson
Effectiveness of the Rebuilding:
The Galveston Hurricane remains the deadliest natural disaster in U.S. history. When another category 4 hurricane hit in 1915, the seawall and the rebuild city survived. (4)