On the morning September 8, 1900 the folks in Galveston woke up just like they would any other day. They ate breakfast, went to work, went shopping and visited with neighbors. The city was a jewel. Thriving. Prosperous. The third largest port in the nation. Before the sun rose again nearly a quarter of them would lose their lives and 90% would be left without roofs to sleep under. Three-quarters of the city was completely demolished. The local authorities were powerless to maintain order. Ghouls looted everything. Some were found with pockets stuffed with gold rings, many still attached to an owner's finger. The National Guard arrived and martial law was declared. Private guns were confiscated. Looters where shot on sight. John Coulter arrived amidst the chaos. Coulter was a historian, biographer and journalist. His aim was to record the facts of what had happened and to publish the survivors' stories, in their own words. From the despicable to the heroic and everything in between, Coulter's coverage of the 1900 Galveston Storm tells us as much about human nature as it does about Mother Nature.