PHOTOS: Top 10 deadliest hurricanes in US history
With high winds and torrential rain, a hurricane can bring horrific devastation in its wake and lead to death for those caught in the storm's path.
For residents of Galveston in the year 1900, there was little in the way of warning on that day in September when the Great Galveston Hurricane washed ashore, the deadliest hurricane in U.S. history.
The Category 4 storm brought one of the nation's most prosperous cities at the time to its knees, killing at least 6,000 people and leaving another 10,000 homeless.
The deadly storm led to the creation of the Galveston Seawall, which has been credited with saving lives and property since its creation.
RELATED: The strongest hurricanes ever recorded
No. 2: Lake Okeechobee Hurricane (1928)
Also known as San Felipe Segundo Hurricane or The Forgotten Storm, the Category 4 storm slammed into Guadeloupe on September 12, bringing great destruction.
After slamming into several islands, including Puerto Rico, the hurricane struck West Palm Beach, Florida with 145 mile per hour winds.
Approximately 2,500 people died in the storm.
No. 3: Hurricane Katrina (2005)
The Category 5 hurricane that devastated New Orleans and caused major damage from Louisiana to Florida is also the most contemporary storm on this list.
The final death toll for the monster storm is recorded as 1,836, many coming from Louisiana and Mississippi.
Katrina also holds the designation as the costliest storm in U.S. history, causing $125 billion in damage.
No. 4: Cheniere Caminada Hurricane(1893)
One of three deadly storms to form in 1893, the Cheniere Caminada Hurricane killed between 1,100 and 1,400 people in Louisiana.
The storm surge was blamed for many of those deaths, as floodwaters overcame many southeast Louisiana communities.
Where the water didn't create danger, the winds did. The hurricane blew in as a Category 4 storm.
VIDEO: More on the 1900 storm
No. 5: Sea Islands Hurricane (1893)
A month before the Cheniere Caminada Hurricane, the people of Savannah, Georgia were struck by a similarly dangerous storm.
The Category 3 Sea Islands Hurricane killed approximately 1,000 people as the city flooded.
No. 6: GA/SC Hurricane (1881)
There are very few details recorded about the hurricane that struck Georgia and South Carolina in 1881.
What we do know is the storm killed about 700 people as it made landfall as a Category 2 storm.
No. 7: Hurricane Audrey (1957)
Another major storm hit Texas and Louisiana in 1957 as a Category 4 storm.
At least 416 people died as a result of Hurricane Audrey, the first named storm of the 1957 Atlantic hurricane season.
Many died as a result of the storm surge, but accidents attributed to the storm and tornadoes also claimed the lives of some storm victims.
No. 8: Great Labor Day Hurricane (1935)
The Florida Keys became host to one of the most intense hurricanes to ever make landfall.
The Category 5 Great Labor Day Hurricane targeted Florida before sweeping the Carolinas, bringing massive devastation and killing 416 people.
No. 9: Last Island Hurricane (1856)
The Category 4 hurricane that hit Louisiana in August 1856 is also known as the Great Storm.
Offshore, at least 183 people were killed as ships sank in the storm's wake. When the storm struck the coast, heavy rains rose in the streets of Abbeville, Louisiana, killing 400 people, at least.
The state's crops were ruined, along with hotels and casinos that drew tourism dollars to the cities affected.
No. 10: Miami Hurricane (1926)
About 372 people were killed when the Miami Hurricane struck the tip of Florida and traveled north, ripping its way to Mississippi.
Hurling 150 mile per hour winds, the Category 4 hurricane tracked large and fast in a northeastern direction.
Almost 100 years after one of the nation's largest hurricanes ever, the Lake Okeechobee area lost most of the victims recorded as the storm surge breached the muck dikes, drowning hundreds of people.
