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 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.
