Galveston, the fourth-largest city in Texas and then the major port, was destroyed by a hurricane with winds on September 8, 1900. The storm created a storm surge when it hit the island, higher than any previously recorded flood. Water covered the entire island, killing between 6,000 and 8,000 people, destroying 3,500 homes as well as the railroad causeway and wagon bridge that connected the island to the mainland. To help rebuild their city, citizens implemented a reformed government featuring a five-man city commission. Galveston was the first city to implement a city commission government, and its plan was adopted by 500 other small cities across the United States.