Warning: Undefined variable $num in /home/shroutdo/public_html/courses/wp-content/plugins/single-categories/single_categories.php on line 126
Warning: Undefined variable $posts_num in /home/shroutdo/public_html/courses/wp-content/plugins/single-categories/single_categories.php on line 127
In the months following the hurricane that struck Galveston in 1900 the insurmountable task of assessing damage and rebuilding a safe, fortified city became the daunting work of city officials and civil engineers as described by Patricia Bellis Bixel in It Must Be Made Safe. Losses were monumental for the surviving city occupants, rebuilding had to be weighed against the threat of future storms. There were no quick fixes available to quickly restore the city to its pre-flood positioning in Texas economics, so the city needed a viable plan to reassure the continuation of profitable business investment into the town. The shadow of death and destruction loomed over previous city officials; whom on numerous occasions had considered, then abandoned building a protective barrier from the sea. (Bixel). Sadly, it took the untimely demise of over 6,000 individuals, millions of dollars in property loss and the complete restructuring of local government (into a commission established by the governor, instead of elected officials) to manifest the idea of a seawall into an actual project that benefited the island of Galveston(Bixel). An interesting point expressed by my classmate @ rhruska is that the actions of changing the government structure can be attributed to themes of “the superiority of white, educated male entitlement” associated with the “Gilded Age”, as well as the “Progressive Era”. It was astonishing to compare the cost that Galveston eventually invested into safe guarding the city, approximately $94 million dollars in modern currency rates; to the losses sustained through the hurricane, over $860 million in modern currency rates (Bixel). Galveston is an example of the great economic cost associated with post disaster recovery verses planned preparation and investment into necessary safety measures prior to the disaster occurring. While disasters continue(earthquakes, floods, fires and hurricanes), the need remains the same; proactive preparation is always better than post tragedy reflection.
