What did Galveston do to protect itself from future storms?
From 1902-10 Galveston experienced one of the greatest engineering feats of the century. From 1902-04 the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers constructed a large seawall to protect Galveston from “overflows” of the Gulf. Reaching 17 feet high, it surrounded the city from 6th Street to 39th Street. The federal government paid to have the wall extended to 45th Street so it would also protect Fort Crockett. In later years the seawall was lengthened to 61st Street and then to its present ending at 103rd Street. After completion of the seawall, engineers then raised the entire city. This involved raising each home on jacks or stilts and then pumping wet sand underneath until the ground was level with the raised structure. Some homes were raised as much as 17 feet, the same height as the seawall. The grade sloped towards Galveston Bay at a 2 percent decline, so that the businesses on the Strand and the piers were not raised. The seawall and grade raising were tested in 1915 when another hurricane,
