Isaac's Storm by Erik Larson

There is just something about natural disasters and how they happen that just fascinate me-especially hurricanes. I love the beach, waves and thunderstorms. I often wish I could be on the beach at the very beginning--you know while it is still reasonably safe to be there. I know I'm a little weird, but that's just how it is.

I just finished Isaac's Storm and I have to admit one my greatest fears is coming true--I'm beginning to like reading NON-FICTION. Who would have thought? Anyways, this book covers the hurricane that hit Galveston, Texas in September of 1900.

Isaac Cline was stationed at the fairly new weather station in the Galveston area. He had a house not more than a few blocks from the waters of the Gulf. This area and much more of Galveston was just a few feet above sea level, so you can just imagine what kind of damage could be seen if a huge storm surge were to hit this area.

With the beginning of the weather service there was a great need to not alarm people because many were very skeptical about the abilities of man to forecast the weather. At the time, Cuba was relying on a lot of intuition and experience to forecast large storms, but the United States believed that only scientific evidence should be used and therefore, discounted the forecasts made by the Cubans as emotional feelings, instead of facts. This turned out to be a huge mistake in this case. Cuba had alerted the U.S. of this gigantic storm that was heading toward the U.S. shores, but the U.S. ignored the warnings and eventually ceased to receive any correspondence from them.

Isaac was among those who thought this storm was not going to pose a great threat to their homes and lives. His brother, Joseph, felt exactly the opposite and actually encouraged those who could evacuate to do so. The storm hit and Isaac's house, along with many others were destroyed. The loss of life was great, including his own wife. The city of Galveston was devastated by this hurricane.

This book is a very interesting read. We are able to see how our weather service has grown from the simple calculations and tools used in the beginning to the computer models and satellite information we rely on now.