Excellent read, written by Bill Read the now director of the NHC... thanks for posting it.

Not only was it a surprise but it is rarely referred to or referenced as if it never happened.

More the forgotten hurricane... found it doing research the other day and I realized I too forgot about the
serious WW2 Cane.

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/hgx/projects/hurr_1943.htm

Concern over shipping and politics and perception of our strength during war time kept publicity minimal. Also, newspaper accounts before it hit have gone down in history with inacurrate accounts.

Interesting paragraph:

"If it had crossed over the island instead of the Bolivar Peninsula, a large storm surge would have been pushed into the Bay area causing possibly a large loss of life, due to the lack of warning. People living along the northern and western shore of Galveston Bay would have been trapped to face the pounding waves and rising seas on land as low as five feet above sea level in many places. Compared with the damage that was done, who knows how bad the destruction and loss of live would have been."

Re: Alicia and the damage that downtown received... they seem to have received similar damage this time so what if anything was learned from Alicia that was not applied. And, did "hurricane glass" in newer building stand up? Do they use it there as they do in Miami.. I am wondering.