The McFaddin-Ward House Museum will host a lecture, “Stories of the 1900 Galveston Storm: What We Have Learned,” presented by author Shelly Kelly at 6:30 p.m., Oct. 9 in the Carriage House.
The talk will be followed by community storm plan updates from Jefferson County Judge Jeff Branick.
The free event is part of the museum’s ongoing lecture series and coincides with the 125th anniversary of the storm.
“I’m going to be discussing different stories from the 1900 disaster and then move into some of the impacts and lessons learned from the storm,” Kelly said in a Zoom interview. “Even though it’s been 125 years, I think we’ll recognize some of the same emotions and responses, like people helping people and people taking care of each other.”
The event is about more than just history; it is about learning from mistakes and protecting human lives, Kelly said.
“If we do not learn from the past, we are doomed to repeat it,” she said. “It does not mean that it is going to happen the same way, but if we can take a lesson from something that we hear or experience, then it might help us in the future.
“Our hope is that we can take lessons from this to mitigate the loss of life in the future.”
Branick will present a brief seminar discussing updated Jefferson County storm plans and hurricane preparedness following the lecture.
“It’s important to have a plan when hurricane season rolls in,” Branick said. “Our area is always in line to have dangerous weather, so it’s important people have a plan for when something inevitably happens.”
Branick said he has some simple advice for are residents.
“The two things I tell everyone to do for hurricane season in Southeast Texas is make sure your vehicle has fuel in it every time you get out of it, and make sure your insurance is up to date,” he said.
The museum is located at 1906 Calder Ave. in Beaumont. For more information, visit mcfaddin-ward.org.