Today in Georgia History – August 27, 1893
For thousands of people living along the Georgia coast, Sunday, August 27, 1893, began deceptively quietly.
Rain had fallen during the night, but by morning there was a lull. Some residents apparently believed the danger had passed and even went to church.
It had not.
That afternoon, one of the deadliest hurricanes in American history came ashore just south of Tybee Island near Savannah. With winds estimated as high as 120 miles per hour and a storm surge reaching approximately sixteen feet, the storm would today be classified as roughly equivalent to a Category 3 hurricane.
The water was devastating.
Railroad tracks between Savannah and Tybee were buried, twisted and washed away. Buildings were torn apart. Ships were driven ashore. Across the low-lying barrier islands of Georgia and South Carolina, entire communities were inundated.
The tragedy was particularly severe among the African American communities of the Sea Islands. More than 30,000 Black residents lived on the islands, many supporting themselves through farming, fishing, oystering and other work tied to the coastal environment. These relatively isolated communities were important centers of the Gullah-Geechee culture.
Warnings had reached Savannah and other mainland communities by telegraph, word of mouth and, occasionally, the still-new telephone. But many island residents never received adequate warning. With the islands accessible primarily by boat, there was little opportunity to escape once the storm surge arrived.
When the water finally receded, the true scale of the disaster was not immediately known. Telegraph lines were down, bridges and boats had been destroyed, and communication with the islands was nearly impossible.
Then reports began arriving.
Bodies were found in marshes, creeks and along the beaches. Homes and crops had vanished. Families had lost virtually everything.
More than 2,000 people are believed to have died across the Georgia and South Carolina Sea Islands, and more than 30,000 were left homeless. The Sea Islands Hurricane remains the deadliest hurricane known to have made landfall in Georgia.
The disaster did not end when the winds stopped.
Food supplies were destroyed, fresh water became scarce, and thousands faced hunger and disease. Clara Barton and the American Red Cross eventually established relief operations along the South Carolina coast, remaining for months as communities struggled to rebuild.
Recovery took years.
Today it can be difficult to imagine a major hurricane approaching without satellite photographs, television forecasts, weather apps and evacuation orders. In 1893, however, a family living on an isolated Georgia island might know almost nothing about the enormous storm moving toward them until the wind began to rise and the ocean itself came rushing across the land.
