Effects of The Galveston Hurricane, the Dust Bowl, and the Texas City Explosion Essay Example

📌Category: Disasters, Environment, History, History of the United States, United States, World
📌Words: 1269
📌Pages: 5
📌Published: 09 April 2022

Disasters, whether manmade or natural, have a substantial impact on the social, political, and economical climate of a region. In between the years of 1900 and 1947, three major disasters struck the Southern parts of the United States: the Galveston Hurricane, the Dust Bowl, and the Texas City Explosion. The Galveston Hurricane, the Dust Bowl, and the Texas City Explosion all changed the social, political and economic environment during the time and even afterwards.

The social atmosphere of an area can be greatly affected by the disasters in recent history. During the Dust Bowl, day to day life was changed significantly for citizens in the area. For example, the added work of clearing dust from all the surfaces made a difference in the routine of people. As stated by Angie Nell Goolsby, “Even by doing so, a person would have to work thirty minutes to an hour each morning after going to the kitchen, before they could even start cooking.” By changing people’s daily life, it changed the social environment. The way people protected their houses also changed. Goolsby also said,  “We would have to cover up everything we could with newspapers and sheets” Additionally, during the Galveston Hurricane, homeowners had to put their houses on stilts in order to help the efforts in preventing another flood. People’s lives were altered a lot by their environment. A lot of time and energy goes into taking care of a house, and when even more work is added, it can be difficult on the structure of typical life. Children and adults of all genders, jobs, or statuses would be brought together in a shared struggle. In all three disasters, many lives were lost. John D. Blagden, a  Weather Bureau employee in Galveston at the time of the hurricane, stated, “The family with whom I roomed with were all lost.” Wanda Lou Baker wrote on the Texas City Disaster, “People were lying on the lawn, in much worse shape than I.” Grief and loss are things that can either bring people together or tear them apart, and much of this was experienced during the disasters. This changes the social atmosphere of a region because it can cause mass sadness, but also increases a feeling of companionship. Jesse Balentine from the Texas City Disaster stated, “I thought the building might collapse so I went outside, and the sky was full of flying debris.  People were running around like crazy and scared.” Fear is another emotion that was prominent during the social atmosphere of disaster-stricken areas. The constant confusion impacted people’s lives.

Disasters also create a change in the political climate of a region. For example, according to John D. Blagen, “The city (Galveston) is under military rule and the streets are patrolled by armed guards.” When a government can no longer take care of themselves, sometimes military or federal officers have to step in. This was the case of many of the disasters taking place in Texas. This changes how the city is governed, as martial law is not usually employed in the United States. However, martial law can sometimes restore order to a region where there is none. John H. Lienharad also wrote, “The people who could vote undertook a wild engineering scheme.” Those who could vote would change their biases to whomever they think can most efficiently cope with the disaster, such as the Galveston Hurricane that Lienharad is writing about. The engineering scheme he is referring to was building a Sea Wall along the south Gulf coast. The disaster recovery would take top priority over typical issues. This changed the political climate because new campaigns and ideas would be brought to solve problems newly thrust into the spotlight. In section 201:001 of the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation board, it is stated that “It is the policy of the Legislature to provide for the conservation of soil and water resources of this State” In many scenarios, new laws would be created to help the new environment come back to normal and prevent future disasters. The previous example is from a board shortly after the Dust Bowl. These new laws can, in the end, better life and create a safer environment. This changes the political atmosphere because people have new rules to follow. Additionally, after the Texas City Disaster, the Hazard Communication Act stated that “The Legislature finds that: (1) the health and safety of persons working in this state may be improved by providing access to information regarding hazardous chemicals” Oftentimes, people may not realize how large a risk something poses until it goes wrong. This is shown clearly when it was only after the Texas City Disaster that the government realized how problematic the factory workers’ lack of knowledge can be when handling hazardous materials. However, this can have a positive impact on the political environment of a region because it calls attention to a problem and can invite a solution.

Disasters also have significant economical impacts on the environment. In the Galveston Hurricane, Ida Smith Austin said, “Trees began to fall, shake shingles; planks and debris (trash) of every imaginable kind were being hurled through the air.” She also said “We opened all downstairs and let the water flow through.  Soon it stood three feet in all the rooms.” Jesse Balentine, during the Texas City Disaster wrote, “Windows flew everywhere.  Luckily I had crouched down behind the other side of the car.  Day turned to night and there were other explosions.” One can imagine the cost of repairs for such a widespread disaster like the Galveston Hurricane. This archive of the moment clearly shows the damage that was done to just one house. Also, in the Texas city disaster, it is once more illustrated how destructive a disaster can be. The economic effect of this would be a large sum of money required to make repairs to buildings. Ida Smith Austin also said, “We brought our cow on the gallery to save her life but soon had to take her in the dining room where she spent the night.” Although Austin was quick thinking enough to save her cow’s life, it is hard to believe the vast number of livestock that would have been lost. For many, this livestock, along with most likely also destroyed crops, was the only way to make money. The economic effect of this would be a possible mass poverty in the region. Additionally, after the Dust Bowl, it was declared that “It is the policy of the Legislature to provide for… the control and prevention of soil erosion.” This was an example of a horrible disaster having a positive effect on the future. Preventing soil erosion was good news for all citizens, as it meant increased plant growth and water quality. Many people in the South were farmers, so these were important improvements in their life. Even for those who did not farm, they lived off of the crops produced by farmers. Livestock could also thrive in a region with reduced soil erosion. Finally, after the Texas City Disaster, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and The U.S. Department of Labor stated, “The employer shall inform fire brigade members about special hazards such as storage and use of flammable liquids and gasses, toxic chemicals, radioactive sources, and water reactive substances, to which they may be exposed during fire and other emergencies.” This means that employers must give all employees proper education on the hazards they will be dealing with. This creates a safer work environment that can attract more people and therefore eventually boost the economy. However, before this statement, disasters and mistrust would have stopped new employees from joining the industry and slowed the economy with all the reconstruction. In the end, a safe and disaster-free economy is able to grow steadily, but when a disaster strikes, it can cause the whole economy huge losses. 

The social, economical, and political effects of the Galveston Hurricane, the Dust Bowl, and the Texas City Explosion were significant and long lasting. Although disasters momentarily cause chaos and disorder, governments and society grow from them and can make changes for a better, and safer, future. All in all, Texas has overcome many challenges, and still stands today, thriving and proud.

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