ABSTRACT
This chapter begins with an examination of the 1900 hurricane in Galveston, Texas, which remains on record as one of the worst disasters in the history of the United States. The years between the Galveston hurricane and Hurricane Katrina were shaped by many of the patterns of migration to hurricane-prone regions. The decades following the Galveston hurricane would witness tremendous advances in the field of meteorology. If growth in Florida continued at the rate it was projected in the early 1960s, there would be a great deal of havoc if a hurricane of Donna's intensity hit one of the state's areas with a projected higher population density. Donna, Carla, Betsy, and Camille influenced the field of hurricane preparation and response in two ways. First, they led to the development of means for measuring the severity of hurricanes. Second, the hurricanes justified a conversation on the issue of federal versus state response into areas of emergency relief.
