Hurricane Ike: Storm that hit Galveston on September 13, 2008

It was September 12, 2008, when the first signs of Hurricane Ike appeared on Galveston Island, as immense waves began crashing into the seawall in a dramatic visualization of what was to come. A day later, on September 13, the hurricane made landfall.

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Waves crash behind a statue commemorating the devastating storm of 1900 as Hurricane Ike approaches, Friday, Sept. 12, 2008, in Galveston, Texas.

AP Photo/ Matt Slocum

The powerful category 2 storm ravaged the Gulf Coast, flattening homes and obliterating entire towns and creating a huge storm surge that destroyed buildings and businesses along Galveston's Seawall.

It's one of the deadliest and most expensive storms, costing an estimated $34.8 billion.

Due to the massive damage and number of deaths, the World Meteorological Organization retired the name Ike in April of 2009.