In this gripping narrative history, Al Roker from NBC’s Today and the Weather Channel vividly examines the deadliest natural disaster in American history—a haunting and inspiring tale of tragedy, heroism, and resilience that is full of lessons for today’s new age of extreme weather.On the afternoon of September 8, 1900, two-hundred-mile-per-hour winds and fifteen-foot waves slammed into … fifteen-foot waves slammed into Galveston, the booming port city on Texas’s Gulf Coast. By dawn the next day, the city that hours earlier had stood as a symbol of America’s growth and expansion was now gone. Shattered, grief-stricken survivors emerged to witness a level of destruction never before seen: Eight thousand corpses littered the streets and were buried under the massive wreckage. Rushing water had lifted buildings from their foundations, smashing them into pieces, while wind gusts had upended steel girders and trestles, driving them through house walls and into sidewalks. No race or class was spared its wrath. In less than twenty-four hours, a single storm had destroyed a major American metropolis—and awakened a nation to the terrifying power of nature.
Blending an unforgettable cast of characters, accessible weather science, and deep historical research into a sweeping and dramatic narrative, The Storm of the Century brings this legendary hurricane and its aftermath into fresh focus. No other natural disaster has ever matched the havoc caused by the awesome mix of winds, rain, and flooding that devastated Galveston and shocked a young, optimistic nation on the cusp of modernity. Exploring the impact of the tragedy on a rising country’s confidence—the trauma of the loss and the determination of the response—Al Roker illuminates the United States’s character at the dawn of the “American Century,” while also underlining the fact that no matter how mighty they may become, all nations must respect the ferocious potential of our natural environment.
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Finally, a book that tells quite clearly how hurricanes form. The desriptions are precised, but not so flooded with technical terms that it’s like reading a textbook. Equally gripping are the researched personal accounts. This book will be especially relevant to folks that live where hurricanes often hit.
I watch shows on the weather channel a lot, find shows on hurricanes and tornadoes informative and strangely enough…..entertaining. This book by Al Roker (very popular weatherman!) about the tragic Galveston, Texas (hurricanes didn’t have names back then) hurricane that decimated what at the time was considered a very modern and beautiful Texan city. Unfortunately with no protection from flooding and storm surges and with the open ocean on one side and a bay off the mainland on the other, there was nothing to stop the water….nothing. One most interesting part of this story is the fact that the higher ups of the day in the American weather service completely ignored and rather poo-poo’d the advise and accurate weather reporting by a Cuban Priest who belonged to a group of priests who for many, many years had accurately predicted strong storms and hurricanes from off the African coast all the way across the Atlantic to and through Cuba and into the waters of America. Had their prediction been heeded, thousands of lives might not have been lost. Hindsight being 20/20 it’s easy to judge “woulda, shoulda, coulda” but the fact that these priests were able to predict so accurately without the weather equipment employed today is certainly amazing!
Very well written & informative book regarding the causes of one of the largest natural disasters in US history.
Extremely well researched! Interesting side facts.
Couldn’t put it down. A very interesting book.
The human interest is the hook for me, as the author follows the stories of storm victims to their thumbs up or thumbs down ends. But the bonus is the incredible story of the weather forecasting service with its petty personality and ego conflicts that literally determine whether or not people survive. I enjoyed the book and read it without laying it down to start another, the test of interest level for me.
Who knew Al Roker could write like that? The book is a marvelous history of a tragic event.
Great breakdown of a natural disasters. Lessons to be learned here.
More informative and a better read than others about the 1900 hurricane
I was aware of the storm discussed in this book, overwhelming knowledge of the tragic loss at the orphanage. But I had no idea of the devastation the storm brought to the entirety of Galveston, nor of the political nincompoopery in the weather service of the day, which arguably increased the devastation many fold.
al Roker handles the subject excellently.
A very interesting book that really takes you into 1900 Galveston. Great characters who are really actual people. Puts you right there in that horror-filled night.
Fascinating — especially since I have lived in Texas all my life!
I have read other books about the 1900 Hurricane, but this one was probably the best. Still amazed at what Galveston went through back then.
Roker gave the meteorological facts of the event in an interestingly woven story.
Excellent account of terrible hurricane before we had accurate warnings.
Living in Galveston for 7 years as a child, I heard stories of the 1900 Storm. Mr. Roker’s presentation of this historical event through the lenses of meteorology, the political climate with Cuba, egos, and the resilience of Galvestonians was intriguing and intellectually stimulating. His ability to retell the survivors’ stories made me feel like I was there.
Very good book about an unbelievable storm. Makes you glad you didn’t have to experience it.
Very enjoyable, very informative. I would say he must have done an incredible amount of research. Such a tragedy, but he described all the details leading up to it and even those during the aftermath.
Loved it!
The book started very slowly like a novel trying to build characters. However once the hurricane started brewing it became exciting. I learned more about global weather and a historical event. The people’s resilience was amazing.
Overall I enjoyed the book.
Al Rokker made you feel like you were right there experiencing the storm yourself.