Isaac's Storm A Man a Time and the Deadliest Hurricane in History
Author: Erik Larson

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.

This was a very compelling account of the devastating hurricane that killed more than 6000 people in Galveston, Texas in 1900. The narrative of this account focuses on Isaac Cline, the chief meteorologist in Galveston at the time. Cline was trained in meteorology by the U.S. Army Signal Corps and also obtained a doctor of medicine degree at the University of Arkansas. He was very highly regarded but he was also unprepared for the monster storm that hit Galveston on September 8, 1900 in what became the greatest natural disaster in American history. The weather service was unable to correctly forecast the storm and Isaac did not foresee the ultimate destructive power of the hurricane.





The book gives some fascinating history on hurricanes through the centuries including those encountered by early mariners in the Atlantic including Columbus. Then Larson goes on to describe the devastation in Galveston from when the storm hit to its aftermath. He used eyewitness accounts including letters, reports, and testimony of survivors along with our present day understanding of hurricanes to chronicle the unimaginable magnitude of the storm. And at the center of this destruction is the personal stories of many of the victims and survivors.

I found this to be very riveting reading. It included a lot of information about hurricanes and the Galveston storm in particular that I was totally unaware of. In the aftermath, Galveston rebuilt including a massive sea wall for protection but the city is still in the bull's eye for future storms.

Wishlist tag going to kaila-ann. Enjoy!

I’ve had this for a couple of days but it got pushed aside in favor or hurricane prep, a little ironic. It made it safely tho and thank you for sending it to me!

I always enjoy Larson's writing and this was no different. Heartbreaking, terrifying and informative all at the same time. Maybe not the best idea to read it in the middle of hurricane season in South Carolina but a good read nonetheless.