ISAACS STORM: A MAN, A TIME, AND THE DEADLIEST HURRICANE IN HISTORY PDF, EPUB, EBOOK

Erik Larson | 336 pages | 01 Aug 2000 | Random House USA Inc | 9780375708275 | English | New York, Isaac's Storm - Erik Larson

Stock photo. Brand new: Lowest price The lowest-priced brand-new, unused, unopened, undamaged item in its original packaging where packaging is applicable. Read seller's description. See all 12 brand new listings. Buy It Now. Add to cart. Any Condition Any Condition. See all 34 - All listings for this product. About this product Product Information From the bestselling author of The Devil in the White City , here is the true story of the deadliest hurricane in history. National Bestseller September 8, , began innocently in the seaside town of Galveston, . Even Isaac Cline, resident meteorologist for the U. 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. Additional Product Features Dewey Edition. Days later, I am still glancing out the window nervously. A well-told story. I braced myself from the monstrous winds, recoiled in shock at the sight of flailing children floating by, and shook my head at the hubris of our scientists who were so convinced that they had the weather all figured out. Erik Larson's writing is luminous, the story absolutely gripping. If there is one book to read as we enter a new millennium, it'sIsaac's Storm, a tale that reminds us that there are forces at work out there well beyond our control, and maybe even well beyond our understanding. Though brimming with the subtleties of human nature, the nuances of history, and the poetry of landscapes,Isaac's Stormstill might best be described as a sheer page turner. Larson has the storyteller's gift of keeping the reader spellbound. A storm begins to roll in and the streets begin to flood, not an unusual occurrence, but conditions soon worsen and the water continues to rise. Suddenly, from the mainland's view, Galveston goes quiet with no news or telegrams reaching anyone. Meanwhile, in Galveston, the storm literally uproots half the island and kills thousands, leaving utter destruction for the surviving. Rumors swirl on the mainland, and soon the full extent of the horror is realized. The islanders are left to rebuild their ruined city. Isaac has lost his wife and doubts himself some. The islanders rebuild the island, raising it by several feet in the process, but the city was never to return to its former glory with nearby Houston taking over Galveston's position as the prominent port in Texas. Weather Bureau from to Cline played an important role in influencing the storm's later destruction by authoring an article for the Galveston Daily News , in which he derided the idea of significant damage to Galveston from a hurricane as "a crazy idea". This article played a significant role in preventing the construction of a proposed seawall following the destruction of a competing port, Indianola , in the Indianola hurricane. Cline is credited during the hurricane with violating Weather Bureau policy and unilaterally issuing a hurricane warning; this warning, however, came too late to allow residents to evacuate the island. During the hurricane, Isaac went home to his pregnant wife, three daughters, and younger brother. There the Clines attempted to ride out the storm; however, the flood waters lifted the house and the family was separated for a time with Cline's wife, Cora, ultimately drowning. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Uh-oh, it looks like your Internet Explorer is out of date. For a better shopping experience, please upgrade now. Javascript is not enabled in your browser. Enabling JavaScript in your browser will allow you to experience all the features of our site. Learn how to enable JavaScript on your browser. NOOK Book. From the bestselling author of The Devil in the White City , here is the true story of the deadliest hurricane in history. National Bestseller September 8, , began innocently in the seaside town of Galveston, Texas. Even Isaac Cline, resident meteorologist for the U. Weather Bureau failed to grasp the true meaning of the strange deep-sea swells and peculiar winds that greeted the city that morning. 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. His magazine stories have appeared in The New Yorker , The Atlantic Monthly , Harper's and other publications and his books have been published in fourteen countries. Willis L. It was the kind of feeling parents often experienced and one that no doubt had come to him when each of his three daughters was a baby. Each would cry, of course, and often for astounding lengths of time, tearing a seam not just through the Cline house but also, in that day of open windows and unlocked doors, through the dew-sequined peace of his entire neighborhood. On some nights, however, the children cried only long enough to wake him, and he would lie there heart-struck, wondering what had brought him back to the world at such an unaccustomed hour. Tonight that feeling returned. Most other nights, Isaac slept soundly. He was a creature of the last turning of the centuries when sleep seemed to come more easily. Things were clear to him. He was loyal, a believer in dignity, honor, and effort. He taught Sunday school. He paid cash, a fact noted in a directory published by the Giles Mercantile Agency and meant to be held in strictest confidence. An asterisk beside a name meant trouble, "Inquire at Office," and marred the fiscal reputations of such people as Joe Amando, tamale vendor; Noah Allen, attorney; Ida Cherry, widow; and August Rollfing, housepainter. Weather Bureau, a government inspector wrote: "I suppose there is not a man in the Service on Station Duty who does more real work than he. He takes a remarkable degree of interest in his work, and has a great pride in making his station one of the best and most important in the country, as it is now. A photographer captured this aspect in a photograph that is so good, with so much attention to the geometries of composition and light, it could be a portrait in oil. Isaac's Storm - Wikipedia

Your Rating:. Your Comment:. Add a review Your Rating: Your Comment:. Thunderstruck by Erik Larson. Disgrace by J. And he has done so with "Isaac's Storm". I can't say enough how well he tells a story from more than years ago. I kept turning the pages. He is an amazing author. This hurricane story is no ordinary story. It is incredible and worth reading. Consistent with other books by this author. Excellent non-fiction and puts one in touch with history we would otherwise forget and not realize the full story. Makes current hurricanes seem less disasterous by comparison. Good read. I bought this based on experience with teh other books by the same author. We are reading this for a book club at my church. It is interesting to me because I have done prior research on the subject of the Galveston hurricane. This book will make you want to Galveston to see some historic places and sites. Verified purchase: Yes Condition: Pre-owned. I love reading about historical storms and how the people responded and survived. Great read! Great story of a piece of Texas history. Skip to main content. About this product. Stock photo. Brand new: Lowest price The lowest-priced brand-new, unused, unopened, undamaged item in its original packaging where packaging is applicable. Read seller's description. Things were clear to him. He was loyal, a believer in dignity, honor, and effort. He taught Sunday school. He paid cash, a fact noted in a directory published by the Giles Mercantile Agency and meant to be held in strictest confidence. An asterisk beside a name meant trouble, "Inquire at Office," and marred the fiscal reputations of such people as Joe Amando, tamale vendor; Noah Allen, attorney; Ida Cherry, widow; and August Rollfing, housepainter. Weather Bureau, a government inspector wrote: "I suppose there is not a man in the Service on Station Duty who does more real work than he. He takes a remarkable degree of interest in his work, and has a great pride in making his station one of the best and most important in the country, as it is now. A New Orleans photographer captured this aspect in a photograph that is so good, with so much attention to the geometries of composition and light, it could be a portrait in oil. The background is black; Isaac's suit is black. His shirt is the color of bleached bone. He has a mustache and goatee and wears a straw hat, not the rigid cake-plate variety, but one with a sweeping scimitar brim that imparts to him the look of a French painter or riverboat gambler. A darkness suffuses the photograph. The brim shadows the top of his face. His eyes gleam from the darkness. Most striking is the careful positioning of his hands. His right rests in his lap, gripping what could be a pair of gloves. His left is positioned in midair so that the diamond on his pinkie sparks with the intensity of a star. There is a secret embedded in this photograph. For now, however, suffice it to say the portrait suggests vanity, that Isaac was aware of himself and how he moved through the day, and saw himself as something bigger than a mere recorder of rainfall and temperature. He was a scientist, not some farmer who gauged the weather by aches in a rheumatoid knee. Isaac personally had encountered and explained some of the strangest atmospheric phenomena a weatherman could ever hope to experience, but also had read the works of the most celebrated meteorologists and physical geographers of the nineteenth century, men like Henry Piddington, Matthew Fontaine Maury, William Redfield, and James Espy, and he had followed their celebrated hunt for the Law of Storms. He believed deeply that he understood it all. He lived in a big time, astride the changing centuries. The frontier was still a living, vivid thing, with Buffalo Bill Cody touring his Wild West Show to sellout crowds around the globe, Bat Masterson a sportswriter in New Jersey, and Frank James opening the family ranch for tours at fifty cents a head. But a new America was emerging, one with big and global aspirations. Teddy Roosevelt, flanked by his Rough Riders, campaigned for the vice presidency. There was fabulous talk of a great American-built canal that would link the Atlantic to the Pacific, a task at which Vicomte de Lesseps and the French had so catastrophically failed. The nation in was swollen with pride and technological confidence. Isaac's Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History by Erik Larson

Drawing on a great deal of denial and no small amount of racism, the Americans condemned Cuban forecasts which were also understated, but not nearly so heinously as "emotional," avoiding almost as a matter of faith "poetic" terms like "" of the storm or even "Hurricane. While land-based telegraphy was advanced as to transmission of data, it bears remembering that radio-telegraphy still lay in the near future. As much as possible of the narrative is told through the eyes of Isaac Cline, chief of the Galveston weather bureau. As always, Erik Larson writes beautifully, at times brilliantly, and bases his non-fiction on vast and impeccable sources. I do wish that visuals in this book had included more than a very basic map of the and adjoining landmass, and a map of Galveston. I always find it frustrating when Larson describes the looks of people and buildings with such details and eloquence, yet no photos or drawings wind up in the book. Take- with: superior technology means nothing without superior methodology and information-gathering. View all 6 comments. Jan 15, Lobstergirl rated it did not like it Shelves: american-history. It's probably more than a little shameful to admit it post- Katrina, but weather porn can be deeply satisfying. Hurricanes, cyclones, tornadoes, tsunamis, mudslides, styrofoam impaling oak trees, low pressure troughs, the Beaufort scale - don't you feel a little tingly already? When we combine weather porn with the romance of a good story, we get Sebastian Junger and The Perfect Storm : the perfect balance between good science and great storytelling, weaving characters, lives, rescue efforts, and It's probably more than a little shameful to admit it post-Katrina, but weather porn can be deeply satisfying. When we combine weather porn with the romance of a good story, we get Sebastian Junger and The Perfect Storm : the perfect balance between good science and great storytelling, weaving characters, lives, rescue efforts, and the molecules of the air and the ocean into a seamless tale, juxtaposing the calm detachment of scientific description with the heart-pounding trauma of danger and death. I was hoping for more of the same with Isaac's Storm , but it was not to be. In the low-lying barrier island of Galveston, Texas was hit head-on by a massive hurricane -- in fact, by two almost simultaneous storm surges, one from the Gulf of Mexico and one from the bay behind Galveston -- that wiped out a good portion of the city and killed between 6, and 10, men, women and children, and hundreds of horses and cows and other animals. Erik Larson, the author, chooses to examine the disaster through the eyes of the local Weather Bureau head, Isaac Cline. From a weather porn standpoint, this was not a good choice. It's clear that Larson focuses on Isaac Cline so that he can examine the issues of hubris and human flaws: Isaac's own hubris in failing to predict the storm, and the hubris of the newly modern science of weather and climate prediction. In fact, the Weather Bureau in did forecast the hurricane, but it continued on to the coast, and Isaac was blinded by his overconfident pronouncements years earlier that a hurricane could not travel west across the Gulf from Florida. But Isaac didn't leave very much personal material for the historical record the main source is his memoir , and what archival material exists on him is exceedingly dry; thus we are subjected to pages and pages of tedious description of Isaac's early career in the Signal Corps at Fort Myer. Perhaps to compensate for the aridity of his source material, Larson waxes verbosely in little weather-related asides, as in this poem to the atmosphere of Cameroon: The air contained water: haze, steam, vapor; the stench of day-old kill and the greetings of men glad to awaken from the cool mystery of night An invisible paisley of plumes and counterplumes formed above the earth, the pattern as ephemeral as the copper and bronze veils that appear when water enters whiskey. Larson tries very hard to play up the rivalry between Isaac and his younger brother Joseph, who also worked in the Galveston Weather Bureau, describing in detail their disagreements over the storm, their estrangement, the way Joseph never mentions Isaac by name in his autobiography. Since I didn't care about Isaac, I found this story line less than compelling too. Larson might have redeemed himself with vivid descriptions of the storm hitting Galveston -- which he does, to a degree. But his narrative becomes confusing since he is trying to follow so many separate families and individuals, as well as travel back and forth through time, from early evening to nightfall to morning. The water is knee-high at one time and location, waist high at another, neck high at another -- is the water ebbing and flowing, or are we travelling back in time, or is it that the water is higher in one person's house because it is low-lying? I didn't know, and eventually I didn't care. I could have read more pages of The Perfect Storm , but Isaac's Storm at seemed about pages too bloated. The storytelling is also hindered by the absence of photographs. We know they exist, because Larson mentions them, but why weren't they included? Given the tedium of the narrative, they would have provided a welcome distraction. A final point of irritation is Larson's habit of filling in the gaps where the historical record is incomplete. Junger was faced with the problem of having to create a narrative where none existed, since there were no witnesses or survivors to the sinking of the Andrea Gail. He painted a vivid picture of what the men's last hours and moments must have been like, based on readings and measurements from the closest water buoys, and other scientific data. Larson, on the other hand, has all the important historical verification he needs but chooses to embellish the details anyway: Isaac must have gone to this bath house since it was near his house, and must have read books like these. Venomous snakes must have spiralled up into the trees as the floodwaters rose, because we know this happened in later hurricanes. One source cites one name for an orphanage survivor, another source cites another; Larson picks one arbitrarily. Isaac must have checked all the hospitals and morgues looking for his wife, based on the fact that this is what scores of other people were doing, even though what he actually did in the days immediately following the storm is a complete mystery. Isaac must have had happy, blissful dreams, only to awaken to gloom and grief, because Freud's Interpretation of Dreams states that every dream is a wish fulfillment, and "what survivor of a tragedy has never dreamed that the outcome had been different? To assert something as fact that you don't know is anti-historical. It's not that different from fiction. Larson's modus operandi is to state something as if it were fact in the text, and then to explain in the endnotes that it's not really fact. For example, when Isaac finally finds his wife's body, Larson writes, "Isaac kept [her wedding ring:], had it enlarged, and wore it himself. It was this ring that gleamed like a beacon from his photographic portrait. He wore it also on December 31, , when Galveston prepared to enter the twentieth century. It is conjecture, purely, but I base it on Isaac's essentially romantic character; his devotion to Cora; his deep knowledge of portraiture and the symbolic messages embedded within by their painters Nov 19, Diane in Australia rated it really liked it Shelves: nonfiction- disaster-trauma-survival. Fantastic book. As always, Erik Larson does a superb job with this true story about the hurricane that hit Galveston, Texas USA in , and killed over people. Isaac Cline is employed by the national Weather Bureau in Galveston, and the book shows just how he helped, and hindered, the handling of the storm. You'll get an intimate look at the science of weather, political maneuverings in various departments, and an hour-by-hour record of the events which happened to the folks who lived, or Fantastic book. You'll get an intimate look at the science of weather, political maneuverings in various departments, and an hour-by-hour record of the events which happened to the folks who lived, or died, on that day. If you like history brought back to life, you'll love this book. View all 10 comments. Mar 28, JanB rated it really liked it. As with all of Erik Larson's books, this one is well-researched and takes the facts and blends them with personal stories. Fans of the author will find much to enjoy. Mar 19, Checkman rated it really liked it Shelves: beach-read , history , non-fiction , science. Popular history with just enough science thrown in to explain what happened without causing the reader to go cross-eyed. Somewhere between 6,, people lost their lives and the city of Galveston, Texas sustained a body blow that derailed it's ambitions of becoming one of the largest and wealthiest cities in the United States. It's now a moderate sized city that rel Popular history with just enough science thrown in to explain what happened without causing the reader to go cross-eyed. It's now a moderate sized city that relies on tourism and the insurance industry historical irony I believe for it's economic well being. It was long ago passed up by it's business rival Houston. The hurricane played a large part in that and "Issac's Storm" details what happened on September 8. The book is gripping. Sucks you in and keeps you reading. I was pleasantly surprised that it was so engrossing often I find this type of pop history to be a bit lacking and kept turning the pages. I only put it down when I had to. Not a long read it feels like a very well done in-depth article for a monthly periodical. Now for a couple weak points. The book cried out for photos. Thankfully the Internet provides not only photos but even a couple short movies of the clean-up that were made by Edison's people. In addition there are individuals in the book that show up once or twice and then never returned to. In particular I kept waiting to come back to Rabbi Cohen and his family, but we never see them again after pages paperback edition Once again ,thanks to the Internet, and several Texas based historical societies, I was able to learn what happened to the Cohen family they all survived and prospered as well as many others mentioned in passing. The book is short and thousands were effected and I understand that not everyone can be covered in- depth. The main focus in on Isaac Cline and his family, but to have the reader follow the Cohen family for three pages and then to never mention them again is something of a mistake. In my humble opinion. Well regardless of those quibbles "Issac's Storm" is very well written. Give it a try. I live in Idaho so hurricanes aren't really a problem, but it would make a nice read if you're at the beach during a garden-variety tropical storm. Just enough to make you stop and listen when a particularly powerful gust of wind rocks the walls. View 1 comment. Jul 26, Jeanette rated it really liked it. This book details the Galveston Hurricane disaster. But it does so through the life biography of Issac Cline. He was instrumental for weather prediction and some aspects of governmental weather authority connections. Having had the Kindle read before, I finished this go around with the hardcover. I was a bit disappointed that it had some excellent charts and maps but absolutely no photographs. Larson does these non-fiction accounts well. This was not my favorite, but it sure puts you exactly This book details the Galveston Hurricane disaster. This was not my favorite, but it sure puts you exactly within that time, place, cognition of what was happening, and all the associative materials about the then current belief system upon the strength, occasion, or worst possibilities for any TX coast hurricane having a devastating outcome. What really increased the star rating of this work, was the historic background even to the days of Columbus's hurricane on his 4th voyage and also the describing of the properties of "swells" predictions. So many individual family's stories and most highly tragic. Just 2 or 3 blocks apart in dwelling, but what different outcomes! Having to admit I love living close to water- give me an inland lovely lake any time. Not that it is always gentle- but water weight moving on the ocean's scale even within short time periods is human structure failure. Either sooner or later. Isaac Cline, the chief meteorologist at the Galveston, Texas office of the U. Weather Bureau, was a man of science and believed no storm could do serious harm to the city of Galveston, a growing city destined for a great future. In September this cultural hubris proved deadly. In the summer of odd things were happening. A heat wave gripped large parts of the Unit 3. A heat wave gripped large parts of the United States. The Bering Glacier began to shrink. A plague of crickets engulfed Waco. In Cuba local weathermen noticed and worried about the signs they spotted. They had pioneered hurricane science. America's Weather Bureau had an obsession with controlling hurricane forecasts. The word hurricane could not even be used without permission from the highest levels in the Weather Bureau. The Cuban's were natives. They could not be believed. The Weather Bureau had science and technology. The Cuban's predicted a hurricane and that it was headed for Texas. The Weather Bureau predicted a storm that would head out to the Atlantic. In Galveston on the night of September 7, Isaac Cline notices the approaching storm and begins to feel uneasy. Still no one panics. Storms are nothing new to Galveston. Even as the storm hits the city children are playing in the rain. Adults sit on wicker chairs and watch the storm. Storms were a form of entertainment. Until it was too late. This was a tragic tale. The lost of life is unknown. It may have been at least 6, and it may have been as high as 10, Entire families. Woman, children, babies. Whether a person lived or died seems to be a matter of fate. Do you stay in your home? Do you try and evacuate? There was no right choice. After the storm passed the horrors continued. Large parts of the city were destroyed. Entire buildings and homes were gone. Thousands of corpses had to be dealt with. The human side of the story was fascinating. It was horrible and tragic but it is the real story. Often times, especially early in the story, the author spends a great deal of time explaining the science of weather, hurricanes, cyclones, wind, etc. This dragged my rating down from 4 stars to 3. To me when he got into the science it was somewhat tedious reading but the stories of the people were what made this story. And raised the question could it happen again? Do we depend too much on technology? View 2 comments. Jun 15, Paul Falk rated it really liked it Shelves: historical-nonfiction. The author had consumed mountains of research to produce this emotionally charged historical nonfictional account of the hurricane to end all hurricanes that consumed the city of Galveston, Texas. This had been and still remains today the most horrific loss of life due to a catastrophic event in the United States with an estimated death toll estimated at I had been dutifully reminded and ever more respectful that we are always at the mercy of Mother Nature. On September 8, , Isaac Cline The author had consumed mountains of research to produce this emotionally charged historical nonfictional account of the hurricane to end all hurricanes that consumed the city of Galveston, Texas. On September 8, , Isaac Cline was Galveston's meteorologist on the day of the worst hurricane disaster to strike in American history. The telltale signs had been there. Yet he and other notable experts in the field such as his boss Willis Moore, Chief U. Weather Bureau ignored first warnings from hurricaneologists in Cuba that a was likely headed in their direction - Galveston. Failure to act expeditiously was owed by the American counterparts. At that time, they had felt that the Cubans did not possess an adequate level of academic training in meteorology comparable with those in America. An air of smugness and arrogance was directed at the imposters to the South. This unfortunate circumstance turned out to be their own undoing. Instead, relying mostly on guesswork, they supported the notion that the hurricane was headed up the Eastern seaboard. That's where they "usually" went. No threat to the gulf City on the coast. Little did they know that the perfect storm was brewing and had been gathering up strength as it made a beeline in their direction. No mercy was shown as the sea had taken claim of the land and citizens of the doomed city with spitfire rain, record-breaking Gale winds and an unheard of rise in sea level. The aftermath had been a journey into hell. Bodies of people and animals were strewn everywhere. The land had been wiped clean where buildings and landmarks had once stood. The devastation was mind-boggling. Services designed to deal with a burdening death toll were overwhelmed. Attempts to bury the dead at sea failed as many of them had washed back onto the beach. Finally, as a last resort, many the bodies were stacked high and burned in large mounds. The hills of burning bodies were everywhere. The smell of Putrefaction was everywhere. Human ash settled everywhere. It was one of the darkest days in American history. It was the day that " Galveston became Atlantis. Feb 25, Kristen rated it really liked it. As a bit of a history buff, I love the way he makes you feel as though you are really in whatever time period he is writing about. This book was especially interesting to me because I have been to Galveston and visited the hurricane museum. Since Erik Larson loves to give a lot of background details I had a hard time getting into the book a problem I also had with Devil in the White City. But once the hurricane started to get close I got very excited and couldn't put it down. But I was surprised that when the hurricane actually hit I found it to be not so much exciting as it was extremely sad. Larson did such a good job of painting the picture of this hurricane that I was terrified and heartbroken for these poor citizens of Galveston. Of course Devil In The White City was sad as well being that it centered around a murderer but every other chapter was filled with the hope and excitement of the fair and the rise of Chicago. Isaac's Storm focused on the failure of the Weather Bureau, the deaths of 6, people, and a city that was completely destroyed. A fascinating historical account and definitely a worthwhile read. After suffering the effects of hurricane Irene, I thought this would be a good book to really find out how devastating a hurricane could be. I so enjoyed reading of the way in which the weather bureau of and earlier was filled with corruption and a sense that what they thought was the only right thought. I guess not much politically has changed and yet with all out modern advances, we still have such a time getting the weather right. Isaac Cline, the meteorologist for the Galveston area put After suffering the effects of hurricane Irene, I thought this would be a good book to really find out how devastating a hurricane could be. Isaac Cline, the meteorologist for the Galveston area put up with the bureaucracy of the governmental agency. Thinking that weather could be predicted was a new notion at the time but one that the agency thought was humanly possible. However, as often as not, nature can't be predicted and the worst storm ever bringing with it the worst natural disaster ever occurred on September 8, The storm, stating in Cuba crossed into Florida and then headed straight for Galveston. The storm slammed into Galveston wiping out most structures and causing the death of at least 10, people. This storm is still the worst ever natural disaster experienced in the U. This was such an interesting book in which Larson was able to recreate the path of the storm and its aftermath. It was also a story of the loss of life caused by this killer hurricane. One can't trust the powers of nature for they can often turn and produce horrible results for people and their towns and cities. Jan 20, Alisa rated it really liked it Shelves: adventure-disaster , environment-nature. When a force of nature collides with man's limited knowledge and hubris of believing otherwise, terrible things happen. Larson tells a great story of this horrendous hurricane that devastated Galveston, Texas in The thread of the story about the then developing Weather Bureau and the limited tools they had to work with was interesting and I found it fascinating that they had developed an elaborate system for coalescing bits of information and distributing it daily to primarily to sea merch When a force of nature collides with man's limited knowledge and hubris of believing otherwise, terrible things happen. The thread of the story about the then developing Weather Bureau and the limited tools they had to work with was interesting and I found it fascinating that they had developed an elaborate system for coalescing bits of information and distributing it daily to primarily to sea merchants and farmers. Even though so little was known, they at least had a way to distribute information. This hurricane walloped Galveston. There is no escaping the forces of nature. You have to wonder how much more could have been done had they not ignored the warning bell sounded by Cuba, and taken it seriously. Fascinating story, heartbreaking loss. Jan 27, Blaine rated it it was amazing Shelves: audible , , trade-paperback , favorites. Suddenly the prospect of watching their children die became very real. Whom did you save? Did you seek to save one child, or try to save all, at the risk ultimately of saving none? Did you save a daughter or a son? The youngest or your firstborn? Did you save that sun-kissed child who gave you delight every morning, or the benighted adolescent who made your day a torment—save him, because every piece of you screamed to save the sweet one? And if you saved none, what then? How did you go on? At P. And again it accelerated. It moved through the city like a mailman delivering dynamite. Sustained winds must have reached miles an hour, gusts perhaps or more. The sea followed. Galveston became Atlantis. In , Galveston was the biggest port city of Texas, bigger than Houston, on its way to rivaling New Orleans and even New York for national importance. But the heart of the book is the day-by-day —sometimes minute-by-minute—retelling of the track of the hurricane across the ocean and its destructive at Galveston. Those stories, of the perils faced that day and the post-apocalyptic aftermath—with desperate survivors searching for loved ones while the bodies of the dead were being burned in huge pyres—were absolutely riveting. Highly recommended. Well, this was ok, but I didn't find it as engaging as Larson's Dead Wake story. The lengthy history on hurricanes and weather reporting was a bit dry, and the characters within this story weren't all that engaging. The relating of the disaster itself was very good though, and I learned a lot, not previously realizing the scope of lives lost and destruction in its path. Sep 08, Lynn rated it really liked it Shelves: history , non-fiction. This is an historical account of the devastating hurricane that destroyed Galveston, Texas on September 8, Over people were killed in what has been called the greatest natural disaster in American history. Working with what by modern standards would be relatively crude instruments, the Bureau tried, and failed to map and predict the path of the storm. Political con This is an historical account of the devastating hurricane that destroyed Galveston, Texas on September 8, Political considerations got in the way, personalities overruled common sense and people died. Erik Larson lays it all out in clear, eloquently written prose. In the beginning, the story gets a bit bogged down with the history of the Weather Bureau and some of the meteorological details of the storm. It's all understandable, but a bit dry. Once the storm takes the turn towards the Gulf of Mexico, hold onto your hat, it's going to be a bumpy ride! You can't put the book down. You have already started to care about these people and the city of Galveston, and you know what's going to happen. Larsen's descriptions of the storm while it is happening and it's attendant destruction is just devastating. The aftermath is a horror show. And it was all real. All of it. My only critique would be, like others have said, that he should have included photos, especially before and after. At one point he references some photos that he looked at in his research, so would it have killed him to include some? Fortunately, there is Google. The maps he did include were crude and barely useful. I read this while watching news accounts of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. I am now officially on Hurricane overload. But this book is a definite recommend. Jan 07, Mike rated it really liked it Shelves: non-fiction , science , history. The true story of the Galveston hurricane is told in the dramatic, gripping style I am coming to love. His description of the storm's progression and finally hitting Galveston is riveting. Having gone through a hurricane before, Larsen has convinced me not to tempt Mother Nature again. May 28, Becky rated it liked it Shelves: natural-disaster-themed , beaurocratic-bullshit-corporations , physical-library-read , hubris. I feel terrible when I say I like these sorts of books. Perhaps I should say I admire the book, the story that the author accomplished, and that I still feel heartbroken for the pain and suffering that the survivors of the disaster. They are all dead now, the hurricane killed 6, people more than a hundred years ago, but their suffering was real, families were blotted out entirely, people that would be great-grandchildren now, never existed because in disasters its just as much about luck as i I feel terrible when I say I like these sorts of books. They are all dead now, the hurricane killed 6, people more than a hundred years ago, but their suffering was real, families were blotted out entirely, people that would be great-grandchildren now, never existed because in disasters its just as much about luck as it is skills except for when it comes to preparedness. Its all about preparedness. Even now we call hurricanes and tornadoes and earthquakes Acts of God. It even says it in our insurance policies. They are catastrophic events that we pretend nothing can be done about. This simply isn't true. You have to believe that your city can be hit by a hurricane, no where in the United States is safe from tornadoes and just because you hear sirens frequently because you live in the alley doesn't mean you get to ignore them , so many people live along fault lines. The simple fact of that matter is that a disaster can be coming for you, and as Joan Didion says "Life changes in the instant. In the ordinary instant. We have an amazing asset in NOAA, we know when hurricanes and are coming, we often know when there is mudslide potential from hazardous rains, avalanche prevention is maintained on many mountain slopes near populated places. Learn where and when to seek shelter. Have a box in whatever shelter you use in your house that contains, in the very least, a first aid kit, flashlights, a weather radio, backup batteries, bottled weather and a large, thick blanket that can protect you from blowing glass. I also recommend protein bars. If you know weather is coming pack a bag with changes of clothes, wear hard shoes, long pants, pack your medications and chargers. Discuss with family members that best types of first aid treatment for various wounds, what to look for in different disaster- dont go to sleep when its cold, stay put so you can be found, move slowly, lay in a ditch for a , move to higher ground for floods, how to test a door for heat if there is a fire in the building, etc. And most importantly, if you feel that you are in danger, listen to your gut feeling. If you feel the weather is going to get bad, and everyone down to your local meteorologist says that the outlook is good. Do what your gut tells you. Whats the best that can happen is you are wrong, but you are safe. The worst is that you are right, others were unprepared and suffered, but you listened to your gut feeling and got to safety. IN all of the disaster stories that I have read this year there was a very strong pattern of people feeling that they were terribly unsafe, moving to where they felt safer, and saving their own lives. Women seem to worry the most, perhaps its a natural instinct to protect their children, but if the mothers in the Cascade Avalanche had continued to insist on the train being moved, mays have been spared. In Isaac's hurricane if mother's had put their foot down and moved their families without their husbands permission, perhaps more would have been left alive at the end. Its truly hard to say, sometimes you can do everything right in the world, but there are something that you cannot hide from. Right soap box over. I volunteer for Red Cross Disaster Relief, so I just ask everyone to do their part to make my job easier. I want to help people, but I dont, because it means something terrible has happened. Its not the greatest book for actually helping you understand the mechanics of the storm, but it did a pretty fantastic job of addressing the early history of the weather bureau I somewhat hate historical guessing- when authors say for instance "Isaac must have felt Larson deftly wrote about the terror, the horrible scene afterwards, the death pyres, without being the bit lurid My only real beef is that it was short, and I think that Larson would still have plenty of interest left in the reader to talk about the national affects this storm had on the weather bureau, both politically and scientifically. Isaac obviously learned from it, he argued that ties were the most danger, etc. Perhaps Larson wanted to end where he did because it was poignant and heartrending. Tough to say. I would have loved to hear his assessment on the storm's impact on history. If anyone was looking for a disaster read I would definitly recommend this book, and place it alongside Under a Flaming Sky: The Great Hinckley Firestorm of for best in the category of natural disaster. It had a good narrative after the first 50 pages and a good flow of information. To read my review of my Natural Disaster Themed read which included 10 different disaster books click link: Here! Feb 18, Ms. Shelves: history , nonfiction. The Spanish- American War had been waged the previous year. Galveston was a booming seaport riding high on a surge of to the modern eye precarious optimism. With these, and many more details, Larson immerses the reader in a zeitgeist ripe for natural catastrophe. There was a burgeoning faith in technology. Weather Service, then part of the War Department, was like an adolescent, its ex was a time when passenger pigeons still darkened the sky, and bathing suits were made of mohair. Weather Service, then part of the War Department, was like an adolescent, its expansive confidence masking both inexperience and insecurities. Larson draws on elements of history, science, and human interest to tell the story of the devastating hurricane that destroyed Galveston, Texas on September 8, and killed between and people. His story is riveting. He builds suspense through journal like entries marking the storm's progress from it's birth in the Atlantic Ocean to its first sighting as a typical tropical squall on August 27 to warnings of an unusual incipient cyclone from the Belen Observatory in Cuba on September 1. Although tropical storm and hurricane warnings were of vital importance to Cuba, and, since , a detailed communication network had been set up on the island, the head of the U. Part of this was prejudice; their correspondence depicted the Cubans as panic-prone natives. Part of their attitude was due to insecurity. Moore was obsessed with centralized control. He did not want the Cubans issuing independent weather bulletins. He had a paranoid fear that the Cubans would steal U. Weather Service data and claim independent expertise. Government owned all telegraph lines in Cuba. Moore was able to get the War Department to ban all cables about the weather from Cuba except for those issued by the U. Weather Service. As a result, the Belen Observatory's concerns went unheeded. And, of course, ego was a prominent factor. Forecasting relied largely on the discernment of patterns, not scientific hypothesis and testing. One misleading pattern was that tropical storms usually veered north northeast into the Atlantic. Exceptions were conveniently termed accidents of nature. Three days before the hurricane struck, the weather service was predicting that the storm would proceed up the Atlantic coast the next day. The Cubans at Belen had already anticipated that the path would instead lead to the Texas coast. A second misleading conception was that the long low coastal shelf of would mute the effects of tidal flooding. In Henry Blanford had studied the lethal storm surges in the Bay of Bengal and concluded that such a geographical configuration promoted the volume and height that defined these devastating tidal waves. Unfortunately, that theme was not reiterated until a month after the hurricane in the weather bureau's monthly publication. Bureaucracy was another contributing factor in the failure to anticipate the hurricane. Data was submitted to the central office in Washington D. Assessments were made centrally and bulletins issued each morning. Larson's saga turns into a horror story as he focuses on individual families. Houses crumple, slate shingles fly through the air, families are divided and drowned. The horror continues into the aftermath as the first outsiders venture into the area to investigate the mysterious silencing of all communications coming out of Galveston. His documentation for these events are drawn from an extensive trove of archival material: Letters, diaries, memoirs, interviews, cables, and newspaper accounts. Larson is at his most lyrical when he delves into the elemental nature of the weather. The sun rose over the African highlands east of Cameroon and warmed grasslands, forests, lakes, and rivers, and the men and creatures that moved and breathed among them; it warmed their exhalations and caused these to rise upward as a great plume of carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, and hydrogen, the earth's soul Winds converged. A big, hot easterly raced around a heat- induced low in the Sahara, where temperatures averaged degrees Fahrenheit, heat scalded the air, and winds filled the sky with dust. This easterly blew toward the moist and far cooler bulge of West . High over the lush lands north of the Gulf of Guinea, over Ouagadougou, Zungeru, and Yamoussoukro, this thermal stream encountered moist monsoon air blowing in from the sea from the southwest. The monsoon crossed the point where zero latitude and zero longitude meet, and entered the continent over Nigeria Where these winds collided, they produced a zone of instability. The air began to undulate. You will never think about the weather in the same way again! It is a sobering thought that even today, with all of our measurements and satellite tracking, there is much to be learned about hurricanes. Larson even invokes chaos theory as a reminder that prediction may not even be an attainable goal. An interesting and often sad of several accounts of the great hurricane that ravaged Galveston, Texas in September This Katrina class or stronger hurricane hit this city with the people having no knowledge or warning of the intensity and power these types of storms can unleash. The book loosely follows Isaac Cline and his brother who were the weather observers working for the newly formed National Weather Bureau during this tragic event. The beginning of the book has a general history of sev An interesting and often sad of several accounts of the great hurricane that ravaged Galveston, Texas in September The beginning of the book has a general history of severe weather recorded throughout time and the world. The incredible power of the weather on the planet is something gives me reason to be in awe of such power. Our current day technology and knowledge can help mitigate against such disasters but cannot completely insulate us from the impacts of nature. The book also go through a detailed account of Isaac's storm through the eyes of various recorded eyewitness accounts. As an amateur weather watcher, I found this book particularly interesting. A key question in the book is why that the people of Galveston had no idea a hurricane was headed their way? According to the book, there were three overreaching reasons: 1 ego, 2 lack of understanding about hurricanes and 3 not taking the weather signs seriously enough. In the first circumstance, Isaac's boss didn't think the reports from Cuba were reliable. When Isaac's storm passed over Cuba, it was strong and probably hurricane strength. Larson, meanwhile, looks at the lives of multiple Galveston residents on the eve of the storm, specifically Isaac Cline. A storm begins to roll in and the streets begin to flood, not an unusual occurrence, but conditions soon worsen and the water continues to rise. Suddenly, from the mainland's view, Galveston goes quiet with no news or telegrams reaching anyone. Meanwhile, in Galveston, the storm literally uproots half the island and kills thousands, leaving utter destruction for the surviving. Rumors swirl on the mainland, and soon the full extent of the horror is realized. The islanders are left to rebuild their ruined city. Isaac has lost his wife and doubts himself some. The islanders rebuild the island, raising it by several feet in the process, but the city was never to return to its former glory with nearby Houston taking over Galveston's position as the prominent port in Texas. Weather Bureau from to Cline played an important role in influencing the storm's later destruction by authoring an article for the Galveston Daily News , in which he derided the idea of significant damage to Galveston from a hurricane as "a crazy idea". This article played a significant role in preventing the construction of a proposed seawall following the destruction of a competing port, Indianola , in the Indianola hurricane. Cline is credited during the hurricane with violating Weather Bureau policy and unilaterally issuing a hurricane warning; this warning, however, came too late to allow residents to evacuate the island. During the hurricane, Isaac went home to his pregnant wife, three daughters, and younger brother. There the Clines attempted to ride out the storm; however, the flood waters lifted the house and the family was separated for a time with Cline's wife, Cora, ultimately drowning. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Book by Erik Larson. Main article: Isaac Cline. Isaac's Storm. Random House, Inc. Retrieved March 3, Random House Publishing. The Storm.

Buy It Now. Add to cart. Any Condition Any Condition. See all 34 - All listings for this product. About this product Product Information From the bestselling author of The Devil in the White City , here is the true story of the deadliest hurricane in history. National Bestseller September 8, , began innocently in the seaside town of Galveston, Texas. Even Isaac Cline, resident meteorologist for the U. 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. Additional Product Features Dewey Edition. Days later, I am still glancing out the window nervously. A well-told story. I braced myself from the monstrous winds, recoiled in shock at the sight of flailing children floating by, and shook my head at the hubris of our scientists who were so convinced that they had the weather all figured out. Erik Larson's writing is luminous, the story absolutely gripping. If there is one book to read as we enter a new millennium, it'sIsaac's Storm, a tale that reminds us that there are forces at work out there well beyond our control, and maybe even well beyond our understanding. Though brimming with the subtleties of human nature, the nuances of history, and the poetry of landscapes,Isaac's Stormstill might best be described as a sheer page turner. Larson has the storyteller's gift of keeping the reader spellbound. Larson's story is about the folly of all who believe that man can master or outwit the forces of nature. If there is one book to read as we enter a new millennium, it's Isaac's Storm , a tale that reminds us that there are forces at work out there well beyond our control, and maybe even well beyond our understanding. Though brimming with the subtleties of human nature, the nuances of history, and the poetry of landscapes, Isaac's Storm still might best be described as a sheer page turner. If there is one book to read as we enter a new millennium, it's Isaac's Storm, a tale that reminds us that there are forces at work out there well beyond our control, and maybe even well beyond our understanding. Show More Show Less. Ratings and Reviews Write a review. Most relevant reviews See all 21 reviews. Isaacs Storm Consistent with other books by this author. Great historical book We are reading this for a book club at my church. Historical Hurricane's I love reading about historical storms and how the people responded and survived. Great book! Best Selling in Nonfiction. Trump ,Hardcover 4. Save on Nonfiction Trending price is based on prices over last 90 days. You may also like. Paperback Gary Larson Books. The hurricane passes over Cuba, and the Cubans predict it to be heading towards Texas. The Weather Bureau, however, disagrees and believes that the storm will track towards Florida. Larson, meanwhile, looks at the lives of multiple Galveston residents on the eve of the storm, specifically Isaac Cline. A storm begins to roll in and the streets begin to flood, not an unusual occurrence, but conditions soon worsen and the water continues to rise. Suddenly, from the mainland's view, Galveston goes quiet with no news or telegrams reaching anyone. Meanwhile, in Galveston, the storm literally uproots half the island and kills thousands, leaving utter destruction for the surviving. Rumors swirl on the mainland, and soon the full extent of the horror is realized. The islanders are left to rebuild their ruined city. Isaac has lost his wife and doubts himself some. The islanders rebuild the island, raising it by several feet in the process, but the city was never to return to its former glory with nearby Houston taking over Galveston's position as the prominent port in Texas. Weather Bureau from to Cline played an important role in influencing the storm's later destruction by authoring an article for the Galveston Daily News , in which he derided the idea of significant damage to Galveston from a hurricane as "a crazy idea". This article played a significant role in preventing the construction of a proposed seawall following the destruction of a competing port, Indianola , in the Indianola hurricane. Cline is credited during the hurricane with violating Weather Bureau policy and unilaterally issuing a hurricane warning; this warning, however, came too late to allow residents to evacuate the island. During the hurricane, Isaac went home to his pregnant wife, three daughters, and younger brother. There the Clines attempted to ride out the storm; however, the flood waters lifted the house and the family was separated for a time with Cline's wife, Cora, ultimately drowning. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Book by Erik Larson. Main article: Isaac Cline. Isaac's Storm. Random House, Inc. Retrieved March 3,

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