Isaac's Storm, by Erik Larson

 By Bruce Shawkey

One of my favorite books is Isaac's Storm, by Erik Larson. The book is an account of the 1900 hurricane, which decimated Galveston, Texas. The storm is named for Isaac Cline, chief meteorologist at the Galveston, Texas, office of the U.S. Weather Bureau, now known as the National Weather Service, from 1889 to 1901. This was before hurricanes were named for persons, which began in 1953. Though non-fiction, Larson's account reads like fiction. The book begins with a haunting telegram from the Chief of the U.S. Weather Bureau, Willis L. Moore, to the manager of Houston's Western Union office: "Do you hear anything about Galveston?"

Here is one account of the hurricane published by newspapers.com:

On September 8, 1900, Galveston, Texas, was struck by a category 4 hurricane that decimated the island and killed thousands of people, making it the deadliest natural disaster in U.S. history.

The day before the hurricane struck, heavy swells were noticed in the Gulf, and by the early morning of the 8th, coastal areas of Galveston had begun to flood. Rain showers started later that morning, with heavy rains beginning by noon. By 3:30 p.m. water covered half the city, and it continued to steadily rise until about 8:30 p.m. In total, the storm surge rose about 15-20 feet, completely submerging the island (which sat just 9 feet above sea level).

In addition to the flood of water, hurricane-velocity winds started around 5 p.m., topping out at an estimated 140 miles per hour and turning debris into deadly projectiles. The storm center passed over around 8:30 p.m., and finally, around 11 p.m., the wind began to subside.

Deaths and Damage

The next morning, survivors discovered the hurricane had left mass devastation in its wake. The lowest estimate of those killed is 6,000, though estimates of 8,000 or 12,000 are also common. More than 3,600 houses (about half of the residence portion of the island) were destroyed, with all remaining structures suffering varying levels of damage.

Isaac Cline and his daughters survived the hurricane, but his wife, Cora, was killed. He never remarried, and died in 1955 at age 94.

Aftermath

The vast number of dead, combined with the heat and humidity, quickly created a horrible stench across the island. Residents originally tried to bury many of the dead at sea, but when the tide washed the bodies back to shore, they began to burn the bodies instead.

Cline writes in his report that for two days before the hurricane hit, he rode on horseback along the ocean front, shouting of the hurricane's arrival, like Paul Revere's warning that the British were coming. He claimed in his report that he believed his actions saved hundreds if not thousands of lives. No eyewitness accounts of Cline's ride were recorded to corroborate his story. In the end, no one was held accountable for the failure to warn Galveston residents of the hurricane.

A nationwide relief effort was launched to help Galveston’s devastated population, and in the months and years following the hurricane, Galveston rebuilt.