I think the numbered dead if accurate would be the highest death toll from a hurricane since the 1928 hurricane that hit Okeechobee in Florida. I am not sure of how many died in the Labor Day hurricane of 1935 but it may be close to that. The other very deadly storm was the 1902 ( I may be wrong on the date) Galveston storm.
The high death tolls are usually a result of flooding.
The Galveston hurricane was in September, 1900 -- 105 years ago next week. Death estimates range from a minimum of 6,000 to 12,000. I understand they still dig up skeletons.
Galveston was a prosperous and vibrant city, a center of banking and finance, more prominent than its northern neighbor, Houston. It was filled with lovely large Victorian homes and high society. Despite warning messages sent to the Galveston weather office from counterparts in the Carribean, no one prepared for the storm.
"Isaac's Storm" -- the title referring to the Galveston weather bureau chief -- tells the horrid story in detail.
The city was largely flattened, funeral pyres burning on the beach for weeks. But Galveston not only rebuilt, they raised the city. Literally. Jacked up the houses, brought in many tons of sand, moved the entire town straight up and installed a sea wall to keep the ocean corralled. A massive and most impressive undertaking.
No looting.
The story is amazing and inspiring. If ever in Galveston, visit the Hurricane Museum on The Strand. I love the pictures of sidewalks suspended above the ground while the "raising" was underway.
So far it's worked. But, then, it's been a while since Galveston got a direct hit.
And think about how much more populated this area is now than those were then.
The 1906 hurricane that washed over Galveston killed 6000+, the exact number undetermined because so many washed out to sea. Let us pray there is nothing close to that number.