5 of The Most Devastating Natural Disasters In Texas History

Texas has seen some of the worst natural disasters in U.S. history, both in lives lost and property destroyed. These are just 5 of the most devastating natural disasters in Texas history.

• 1947 Texas City Disaster

In April of 1947, a French ship docked at the port in Texas City and shortly after, caught fire. The ship happened to be carrying 2300 tons of Ammonium Nitrate. The ship detonated and the blast leveled up to 1000 buildings, set refineries and chemical tanks on fire, and brought people in Galveston to their knees. Galveston was 10 miles away. 581 fatalities and over 5,000 injuries were reported. It cost over 1 billion dollars in damages and is still considered the worst industrial accident in American history.

Get our free mobile app

• New London School Explosion

The New London School Explosion is considered the worst school disaster in American history. In May of 1937, the school of New London, Texas violently exploded from a gas leak, killing 219 students and teachers and becoming the 3rd worst disaster in Texas History.

• The Great Flood of 1921

In 1921, a tropical storm from Mexico made its way towards San Antonio and caused rainfall that would break the record for most rain accumulating in one day. San Antonio flooded in a 24 hour period with over 38 inches of rain that caused 224 recorded deaths and over 19 million dollars in damage.

Get our free mobile app

• The 1953 Waco Tornado

In 1953, the deadliest Tornado in Texas history would strike the town of Lorena before heading towards Waco. In Waco, the tornado would be classified as an F5 twister and take the lives of 114 people, injuring over 500 more. The tornado would also trap several people under rubble for over 14 hours and destroy 600 homes. The cherry on top? This all happened on Mothers Day. Thankfully, this tornado would cause lots of new regulations to help people stay safer during future disasters.

• The 1900 Galveston Hurricane

Still considered the most devastating natural disaster in all of U.S. history, The Galveston Hurricane of 1900 took between 8,000 to 12,000 lives, which is more deaths caused by all of the tropical storms to hit the U.S. since. The storm was a Category 4, boasted winds of up to 145 mph and caused over $104 Billion dollars in damage.

These are just a few of Texas histories most devastating disasters that also happen to be some of the worst in U.S. history. Were there any you remember that I should mention next time? Let me know!

Get our free mobile app