Now, read the first chapter of Against the Tide, and answer the following questions. (You'll need to create a free account to read the article.)

1. Describe the economic activity and importance of Galveston Texas at the turn of the twentieth century.

    

2. Just preceding the great hurricane, how was the city cut off and evacuation rendered impossible?

    

3. Describe the geographic setting of the city in terms of the dimensions of the beach on which it was situated, as well as the height of the city above sea level.

    

4. How high did the water get in the city during the storm? Compare this to the average elevation of the city.

    

5. After the devastation, how did the city government propose to "protect" the city from future disasters?

    

6. What was the new elevation of the city?

    

7. How did the new seawall behave during the next hurricane?

    

8. What is the "Faustian bargain" inherent in the construction of the Galveston seawall as described by the author?

    

9. Comment on the impact you conclude to be likely based on the following quote from the author. "Almost half of all construction in the United States in the 1970s and 1980s took place in coastal areas, and demographers estimate that by the year 2000, 80 percent of Americans will live within an hour's drive of the coast." Explain what the author meant by the phrase, "nature always bats last at the coast."

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