America’s Deadliest Hurricanes: The History of the Three Worst Hurricanes in American History

by Charles River Editors

*Includes pictures *Includes accounts *Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading *Includes a table of contents Hurricanes have been devastating communities for thousands of years, bringing about various combinations of rain and wind that can do everything from taking down some dead limbs to wiping out houses. They are also common enough that people who live for any length of time in a region prone to having hurricanes are inclined to accept them as something of a periodic nuisance rather than a serious danger. Modern construction styles allow houses to withstand winds in excess of 100 miles an hour, and early warning systems allow people to evacuate. Thus, most hurricanes of the 21st century take fewer lives than a serious highway accident. As a result, the world watched in horror as Hurricane Katrina decimated New Orleans in August 2005, and the calamity seemed all the worse because many felt that technology had advanced far enough to prevent such tragedies, whether through advanced warning or engineering. Spawning off the Bahamian coast that month, Katrina quickly grew to be one of the deadliest natural disasters in American history, killing more than 1,800 people and flooding a heavy majority of one of America’s most famous cities. At first, the storm seemed to be harmless, scooting across the Floridian coast as a barely noticeable Category 1 storm, but when Katrina reached the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, its winds grew exponentially before slamming into the southern Louisiana coast as a massive Category 5 hurricane. In addition to the deadly nature of the hurricane, it was also incredibly destructive as a result of failed levees around the New Orleans area. By the time the storm had passed, it had wreaked an estimated $108 billion of damage across the region, and the human suffering, with nearly 2,000 deaths and a million people displaced, was available for viewing across the world. Naturally, the reactions of political leaders would be heavily scrutinized in the aftermath, and people studied the lessons to be learned from the disaster to prevent a similar occurrence in the future. It was only well into the 20th century that meteorologists began to name storms as a way of distinguishing which storm out of several they were referencing, and it seems somewhat fitting that the hurricane that traumatized Galveston was nameless. Due to the lack of technology and warning, many of the people it killed were never identified, and the nameless corpses were eventually burned in piles of bodies that could not be interred due to the soggy soil. Others were simply buried at sea. The second deadliest hurricane in American history claimed 2,500 lives, so it’s altogether possible that the Galveston hurricane killed over 4 times more than the next deadliest in the U.S. To this day, it remains the country’s deadliest natural disaster. Similarly, the hurricane that struck southern Florida in September 1928 killed hundreds more, with an estimated death toll of over 2,500 people. Without the warnings available today, it was inevitable that the Category 5 hurricane wrought almost inconceivable destruction as it made landfall in Florida with winds at nearly 150 miles per hour. In addition to the powerful storm itself, the flooding of Lake Okeechobee, the 7th largest freshwater lake in the country, exacerbated the damage by spilling across several hundred square miles, which were covered in up to 20 feet of water in some places. America’s Deadliest The History of the Three Worst Hurricanes in American History examines each of the deadly storms, from their meteorological origins to the tolls and aftermath of each one. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about the hurricanes like never before.

Genres: Nonfiction

179 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 16, 2018

About the author

Charles River Editors is an independent publisher of thousands of ebooks on Kindle, Nook, Kobo, and Apple iBookstore & provider of original content for third parties.

Reviews

[Bonnye Reed · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a young woman I left my high plains desert home for the Gulf shores of northwestern Florida - white sandy beaches, all that lovely water, who could ask for more? I had of course heard of hurricanes, but in my Roswell NM home we seasonally faced 50, 60, 70 mile-an-hour winds for days at a time - once or twice they hit over 90 mph - with dust so thick you couldn't see your hand in front of your face, so the idea of coastal storms didn't trouble me much. And then there was Camille, in late August 1969. She made landfall Category 5 west of me in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. Fortunately, I was on the weaker left side, but the pier across the street flapped in the wind like a sheet on the clothesline back home. That and the pear tree lying across my kitchen were enough to make me see the light. The winds here back home don't seem nearly so bad on this side of Camille. But I was lucky - my experience with her was nothing compared to the three Canes detailed in this little book. This is a much simpler way to learn to respect the wind. The Rain. Understand Storm Surge. Research Climate Change. Plan coastal vacations in early summer, before hurricane season sets in. Like me, you will probably read it and weep. Maybe make a donation to the Red Cross. But read it, you should. REVIEWED on September 29, 2024, at Goodreads, AmazonSmile, Barnes&Noble, BookBub, and Kobo.

[Diana R. Johnston · Rating 5 out of 5]

fascinating

Fascinating read about tragedy. Opportunities to learn and grow from tragedy will always exist because we cannot be prepared for everything. Good book and easy to read.

[Margaret Crampton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This well researched book gave me an enhanced understanding of hurricanes through three twentieth century examples of such storms in America: Namely those devastating Galveston, Southern Florida and New Orleans. The graphic descriptions, photographic illustrations and personal memories are brilliantly portrayed and one experiences first hand the tragedy and destruction of the gale force winds, torrential rain and tsunami flooding destroying homes lives and communities. Thank you kindle unlimited for my copy. Highly recommended.

[Denise Hoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never knew

There were a lot of things in this book I never knew or realized. It breaks my heart that people didn’t have a way out back in the 20s and 30s. Even today I pray that people will have learned from Katrina and get out the next time a storm comes their way.

[Jerry Jares · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perhaps because I read this during Hurricane Season, the stories were compelling and fascinating. The author stitched different stories together to make an exciting look at hurricanes from the victim's view.

Having lived near Galveston for almost 50 years, I was familiar with the Galveston Storm. However, this author told the story so compellingly that the tale enthralled me. The ground was so saturated that they couldn't bury the bodies (about 12,000), so they first sent them out to sea (but they came back) and finally burned the bodies.

So many people were against building a seawall on Galveston Island until this happened. After the storm surge, water was waist-deep across the island. Because Galveston was such a prominent port (even then), they had to do something to protect people and property. The city jacked up all that could be lifted and pumped 14 million cubic yards of sand underneath (to raise the level of the island by ten feet). The photos shown are incredible.

Although we all watched Katrina on television in 2005, we know less about the 1928 Lake Okeechobee hurricane. Showing the pathway with red dots helped readers understand the depth of the problem Floridians faced with this hurricane. There are lots of photos and drawings for information. This is a fantastic eBook about destructive hurricanes that people will enjoy.