(CNN) -- The worst weather disaster in American history took place in Galveston, Texas, in 1900 when a hurricane estimated as a Category 4 intensity blew ashore, killing thousands of residents and obliterating the town. The unnamed storm was first detected in the Atlantic on August 27, reaching Cuba as a tropical storm on September 3. Like Ike, the hurricane crossed Cuba and entered the Gulf of Mexico, crashing ashore just south of Galveston on September 8. Galveston Island was completely covered by 8- to 16-foot storm tides. Estimates of the death toll range from 6,000 to 12,000, and property damage was estimated at $30 million.Category 4 storm destroyed Galveston in 1900Estimates of the death toll range from 6,000 to 12,000Residents ignored early storm warningsComplete destruction kept word from the outside world
Galveston in 1900 was a rich shipping city, home to nearly 40,000 people, many of them made wealthy by _'s position as Texas' chief port. Watch how _ and the 1900 hurricane are similar ».