Isaac’s Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History by Erik Larson
Synopsis: September 8, 1900, began innocently in the seaside town of Galveston, Texas. Even Isaac Cline, resident meteorologist for the U.S. Weather Bureau failed to grasp the true meaning of the strange deep-sea swells and peculiar winds that greeted the city that morning. Mere hours later, Galveston found itself submerged in a monster hurricane that completely destroyed the town and killed over six thousand people in what remains the greatest natural disaster in American history–and Isaac Cline found himself the victim of a devastating personal tragedy.
Using Cline’s own telegrams, letters, and reports, the testimony of scores of survivors, and our latest understanding of the science of hurricanes, Erik Larson builds a chronicle of one man’s heroic struggle and fatal miscalculation in the face of a storm of unimaginable magnitude. Riveting, powerful, and unbearably suspenseful, Isaac’s Storm is the story of what can happen when human arrogance meets the great uncontrollable force of nature.
Published: August 1999 | ISBN-13: 978-0375708275
Author’s Homepage: http://eriklarsonbooks.com
Author’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/exlarson
BookPage Book Review
New York Times Book Review
Publishers Weekly Book Review
Washington Post Book Review
Well, that was an interesting video review! Despite his descent into a rant about US politics, he does touch on something that is still relevant today – that even with better knowledge about the weather we still get “why didn’t the authorities warn us it would this bad?” and you still get people ignoring the warnings and thinking they can tough it out. I’ll keep an eye out for this one.
Cool! Let me know what you know Jacquie when you find it 🙂