What do you think?
Rate this book
Hurricane Force: In the Path of America's Deadliest Storms
August 29, 2005
Peering through the latticed brickwork of The New Orleans police headquarters parking garage, New York Times journalist Joseph B. Treaster is watching the devastating power of a hurricane up close. Packing winds of 118 miles per hour, Hurricane Katrina is attacking New Orleans, uprooting trees, tearing down power lines, and flattening homes. Inside headquarters, phones are ringing off the hook as more and more people, trapped by the rising floodwaters, call for help. But rescue workers cannot leave the safety of the building until the hurricane has passed. From this harrowing vantage point, Treaster is poised to report on what may prove to be the most infamous storm in American history. But as with all hurricanes, the story of this storm began weeks before, off the coast of North Africa. Treaster details the evolution of the storm as it unfolds in the sky above the Caribbean Sea and is anxiously tracked by the National Weather Bureau in Florida before it strikes. This is a complete behind-the-scenes account of one of nature's most terrifying and fascinating disasters.
Peering through the latticed brickwork of The New Orleans police headquarters parking garage, New York Times journalist Joseph B. Treaster is watching the devastating power of a hurricane up close. Packing winds of 118 miles per hour, Hurricane Katrina is attacking New Orleans, uprooting trees, tearing down power lines, and flattening homes. Inside headquarters, phones are ringing off the hook as more and more people, trapped by the rising floodwaters, call for help. But rescue workers cannot leave the safety of the building until the hurricane has passed. From this harrowing vantage point, Treaster is poised to report on what may prove to be the most infamous storm in American history. But as with all hurricanes, the story of this storm began weeks before, off the coast of North Africa. Treaster details the evolution of the storm as it unfolds in the sky above the Caribbean Sea and is anxiously tracked by the National Weather Bureau in Florida before it strikes. This is a complete behind-the-scenes account of one of nature's most terrifying and fascinating disasters.
- GenresScience
128 pages, Hardcover
First published April 18, 2007
6 people are currently reading
25 people want to read
About the author
Joseph B. Treaster
3 books3 followersJoseph B. Treaster has been a reporter for The New York Times for more than thirty years. When Hurricane Katrina reached New Orleans, he was one of only a handful of journalists inside the city. He has won numerous awards for his international journalism and is also the author of a book for adults. Treaster lives in New York City.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
December 12, 2021
Not a bad book about hurricanes even though it is a bit dated (2007). Gives some very interesting facts about hurricanes, why they are named, and how they effect people all over the world. Most of the focus is on hurricane Katrina, but there are interesting facts about other storms as well. Not as much detail as I would have liked, but it was written more for a young adult audience.
September 26, 2017
This book has some great photographs, and it is packed with all kinds of interesting information. In fact, there is so much interesting information, that is kind of the problem with this book. The text is a little too dense to be a book that is for children.
March 19, 2012
This is a great little book packed with facts about hurricanes, ranging from precautions to take, aftermath, and the storms themselves. The pictures are familiar, since, as a student in Florida, I have learned a lot about hurricanes. The information about Hurricane Katrina is intriguing as well--I can't believe how long ago it hit. For people who aren't so keen on hurricanes, Hurricane Force does a fantastic job of showing just how deadly these storms are. I would suggest this book for schools farther away from the main places hurricanes hit, in the same way I wish kids in Florida learned about tornados, earthquakes, and even blizzards. Not to sound too sway off into too much environmentalist science fiction, but we really should read up on all the natural disaster because we should be prepared for anything!
As a reader, I appreciated the colorful photographs on every page. The information pop-up boxes weren't arbitrary, and I think they added a lot to the structure of the book as a whole. Despite my first-hand experience with hurricanes, I still learned a lot from this book.
I am sure this book has been integrated into Florida's science classrooms. I would use this as a bridge between curriculum, especially during Hurricane Season. Too often, non-fiction books are considered boring, but when they are presented in this manner, dealing with something widely known, they can be used in many ways. Perhaps students can do their own research on the other types of natural disasters; they can come up with safety and evacuation plans. Maybe they will write their own personal narratives of hurricanes they have experienced. A lot can be done with this book, which increased my rating. Very good for middle school readers!
As a reader, I appreciated the colorful photographs on every page. The information pop-up boxes weren't arbitrary, and I think they added a lot to the structure of the book as a whole. Despite my first-hand experience with hurricanes, I still learned a lot from this book.
I am sure this book has been integrated into Florida's science classrooms. I would use this as a bridge between curriculum, especially during Hurricane Season. Too often, non-fiction books are considered boring, but when they are presented in this manner, dealing with something widely known, they can be used in many ways. Perhaps students can do their own research on the other types of natural disasters; they can come up with safety and evacuation plans. Maybe they will write their own personal narratives of hurricanes they have experienced. A lot can be done with this book, which increased my rating. Very good for middle school readers!
May 6, 2008
Reviewed by Me for TeensReadToo.com
I've never had to live through a hurricane. Living in the Midwest, I don't see it happening in the near future, and after reading HURRICANE FORCE I can say that I'm glad! If you've ever wondered about the destructive force of these massive storms, this is definitely the book for you.
Although a large portion of the book focuses on the August 2005 arrival of Hurricane Katrina to the Gulf Coast, references are also made to hurricanes dating as far back as the early 1900's. Chapters are also spent on the work done by the National Weather Service in tracking, reporting, and identifying hurricanes, as well as how NWS strategies have changed over the years.
Maps and photos of actual radar images are prevalent throughout the book, tracking the progress of well-known hurricanes such as Katrina, Rita, and Charley. Photos of horrific damage resulting from these hurricanes, especially that of Katrina, are also shown, making the devastation seem that much more personable.
I would recommend HURRICANE FORCE to anyone interested in hurricanes, Katrina in particular, but also to those looking for more insight on how hurricanes form and what causes them to strike where they do. A highly informative book!
I've never had to live through a hurricane. Living in the Midwest, I don't see it happening in the near future, and after reading HURRICANE FORCE I can say that I'm glad! If you've ever wondered about the destructive force of these massive storms, this is definitely the book for you.
Although a large portion of the book focuses on the August 2005 arrival of Hurricane Katrina to the Gulf Coast, references are also made to hurricanes dating as far back as the early 1900's. Chapters are also spent on the work done by the National Weather Service in tracking, reporting, and identifying hurricanes, as well as how NWS strategies have changed over the years.
Maps and photos of actual radar images are prevalent throughout the book, tracking the progress of well-known hurricanes such as Katrina, Rita, and Charley. Photos of horrific damage resulting from these hurricanes, especially that of Katrina, are also shown, making the devastation seem that much more personable.
I would recommend HURRICANE FORCE to anyone interested in hurricanes, Katrina in particular, but also to those looking for more insight on how hurricanes form and what causes them to strike where they do. A highly informative book!
May 7, 2011
As a reporter, Treaster's job required him to head not away from Hurricane Katrina, but right into the heart of it. After the storm, he was asked to turn his experiences into a book, which he has done. The result is a quite readable book about Hurricane Katrina and the science and tracking of hurricanes in general.
He starts with a brief look at the history of hurricanes and the human reactions to them. He follows that up by talking about some of his own experiences with hurricanes and the horrific damage they do. Then he explores the science of hurricanes and the technology developed to monitor and study them, including the dangerous job of flying into the heart of hurricanes. He moves on to discuss the ways that people react to hurricanes, everything from evacuation to sitting it out.
This book provides a very readable account of what it's like to live through and study hurricanes, as well as giving an introduction to the nature of hurricanes. The book would make a nice complement to a study of the weather by giving students a spectator's eye view of this most devastating of storms. The photographs, charts, diagrams, and sidebars provide supporting information. Recommended to those who like me are fascinated with the weather.
He starts with a brief look at the history of hurricanes and the human reactions to them. He follows that up by talking about some of his own experiences with hurricanes and the horrific damage they do. Then he explores the science of hurricanes and the technology developed to monitor and study them, including the dangerous job of flying into the heart of hurricanes. He moves on to discuss the ways that people react to hurricanes, everything from evacuation to sitting it out.
This book provides a very readable account of what it's like to live through and study hurricanes, as well as giving an introduction to the nature of hurricanes. The book would make a nice complement to a study of the weather by giving students a spectator's eye view of this most devastating of storms. The photographs, charts, diagrams, and sidebars provide supporting information. Recommended to those who like me are fascinated with the weather.
March 7, 2012
This book was rather interesting and really struck home since I have been a Florida resident for twenty-two years. Hurricanes are rather frequent (except for these past few years there has not been many) in Florida, and this book really gives you a better understanding of how powerful and underestimated hurricanes really are. This book contains many examples of different hurricanes that have made landfall since the 1940's and shows how technology has made tracking, preparing, and understanding hurricanes.
As a reader, this book is just another book about facts and information, nothing that would really want to make you read it for fun. But if you are interested in hurricanes or just want to learn a little more about them this is a quick and easy read to learn about them.
As a teacher, this book is a handy little tool to help students to understand how hurricanes form and what causes them to become more powerful overtime. As an English teacher I would not use this as a primary text but more of a supplement to a science teachers lesson who many be teaching about weather systems.
Overall, I would say this book is entertaining and can perhaps bring back some memories for people who have experience a few hurricanes in their lifetime.
As a reader, this book is just another book about facts and information, nothing that would really want to make you read it for fun. But if you are interested in hurricanes or just want to learn a little more about them this is a quick and easy read to learn about them.
As a teacher, this book is a handy little tool to help students to understand how hurricanes form and what causes them to become more powerful overtime. As an English teacher I would not use this as a primary text but more of a supplement to a science teachers lesson who many be teaching about weather systems.
Overall, I would say this book is entertaining and can perhaps bring back some memories for people who have experience a few hurricanes in their lifetime.
Read
May 8, 2014Hurricane Force is a non fiction book, by Joseph Treaster, that talks about all about the strong and deadly forces, produced by a hurricane. The book does not have a storyline because it talks about all of the different hurricanes from the 20th century, to the 21st century. The story starts out with the deadly Hurricane Katrina. It starts there because that hurricane costed 135 billion dollars in damage, 1,833 lives were lost, and it was recorded down in history as the second strongest hurricane ever know to man. Our generation can recognize that hurricane because it only happened 9 years ago. To be specific, 9 years ago, August 25, 6:00 am. The reason I am talking about this hurricane, over any other one that was mentioned in this book, is because many scientists, and people in our country, are more prepared than they were ever before for a hurricane. I like this book a lot because every time the author writes about a hurricane, his work gets into detail, and it is very interesting to read. Overall, I would give it 5 out of 5 stars, but only because I am in love, with what the author talks about."
October 3, 2011
chaoter 1 in the year 2005 a horrible strom name hurricane katrina the worst strom that ever hit, New Orleans.
1.it caused 135 billion dollars damhge.
2. the wind blew right arould 100 miles per hour.
3. 1800 people would be dead from the strom and flooding.
chapter 2 The Storm Factory
1. In late Aigust 2005, Kerry Emanel, a scientist who has spent decades studying hoe hurricanes reach their peak strengh had.
2. American hurricane history a storm that hit Galveston, Texas in 1900.
3. In 1969 hurricane camille shoved a huge strom surge across the beaches.
4.Crippled Bay st. louis.eastwood along the mississipi coast,the katrina strom surge tossed big commercial fishing boats onto the beach and crushed homes,offices,and waterfront gambing casions in gulport, Pascagoula, and biloxi.
1.it caused 135 billion dollars damhge.
2. the wind blew right arould 100 miles per hour.
3. 1800 people would be dead from the strom and flooding.
chapter 2 The Storm Factory
1. In late Aigust 2005, Kerry Emanel, a scientist who has spent decades studying hoe hurricanes reach their peak strengh had.
2. American hurricane history a storm that hit Galveston, Texas in 1900.
3. In 1969 hurricane camille shoved a huge strom surge across the beaches.
4.Crippled Bay st. louis.eastwood along the mississipi coast,the katrina strom surge tossed big commercial fishing boats onto the beach and crushed homes,offices,and waterfront gambing casions in gulport, Pascagoula, and biloxi.
October 9, 2010
I liked hurricane force it was packed with details about how too stay safe or what to do in a hurricane and specific memories for people that were in hurricanes. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to learn. I learned so many things such as where a hurricane forms and what the conditions need to be like for a hurricane to start. The water has to be 80*f or higher for a hurricane to form. I also learned words like complacency which means a safe feeling.
October 7, 2010
My Book Review:
I didn't like the book that much because it got kind of boring and just told about his experiences in hurricanes mostly but besides that it had good facts about tropical cyclones and hurricanes. The book all around though wasn't that good because it should of had more facts and diagrams than stories and pictures.
I didn't like the book that much because it got kind of boring and just told about his experiences in hurricanes mostly but besides that it had good facts about tropical cyclones and hurricanes. The book all around though wasn't that good because it should of had more facts and diagrams than stories and pictures.
September 2, 2008
Interesting and informative look at hurricanes, especially Katrina.
April 12, 2011
This book was about the worst hurricanes to hit the US. It also gave info on what people did during the hurricane.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews