Hurricane Ike - The storm that nearly destroyed Galveston 

It's September 7, 2008. Hurricane Ike is barreling through the Gulf of Mexico towards the Texas coast. Preparations begin as the storm grows closer with every passing hour. By September 11, forecast models show Ike making landfall just south of Galveston. With the situation growing increasingly hectic, the National Weather Service issued a dire warning stating some residents of coastal Texas faced certain death if they did not evacuate. The warning proved to be enough for 1 million coastal residents to flee, but 100,000 chose to remain and ride out the storm in their homes and businesses. Most oil refineries in Texas are closed in preparation for the storm, causing a large spike in the price of gas nationwide.
Evacuation efforts and prep work continued throughout September 12, until the rising storm surge hampered efforts on the island. The storm surge eventually topped the 17 foot high Galveston Seawall at around 4 pm on September 12. On the morning of September 13, Ike slammed into the Texas coast, making landfall over the east end of Galveston Island. Widespread flooding soon began, with downtown Galveston’s courthouse being under 6 feet of water. The Lone Star Flight Museum suffered catastrophic damage as 8 feet of water swept through the buildings and hangars.
The famous Balinese Room, home to performances by the likes of Sammy Davis Jr and Frank Sinatra was swept into the ocean. The Flagship Hotel was battered by the storm, but survived thanks to its concrete pylons. Despite surviving the storm, the hotel was deemed to be a total loss and was later demolished. The historic Galveston Island Trolly was also heavily damaged and never reopened after Ike.
As a shelter of last resort, Ball High School was home to some 200 residents of the island as they tried to ride out the storm in safety. All who stayed at the school during the storm would survive, and were later evacuated to San Antonio.
Ike forever changed the landscape of Galveston Island. Historic buildings were destroyed and the storm led to 84 fatalities in Texas alone. At the time Ike was the second costliest hurricane in U.S. history only behind Katrina.