This post is actually a review of a book I recently read. The title of this post is a quote from the author in his notes at the end of the book. The book is Isaac’s Storm by Erik Larson. It is the account of the hurricane that struck the island town of Galveston, Texas on September 8, 1900. It has gone on record as one of, if not the deadliest storm to hit the U.S. during the 20th century. This storm’s 15.7 foot storm surge left more than 6,000 of Galveston’s 37,000 residents dead and 3,600 buildings destroyed.
The book’s title comes from its main character Isaac Cline who was the resident meteorologist for the U.S. Weather Bureau at the time. Despite the some of the out of the ordinary signs, like the deep sea swells, Isaac as well as others, did not grasp what the signs truly meant. Hours later, one of the deadliest hurricanes would destroy the island of Galveston and the lives of those who lived there; Isaac himself does not escape personal tragedy ~ his wife would be among the dead.
While the storm itself seems to be the main “character” in this story, there is more to it than simply the retelling of events. There is the strained and eventually estranged relationship between Isaac and his brother Joseph. There is also the thread of pride that may have prevented Isaac from seeing the signs of this impending storm clearly.
This is a true story that reads like a novel. Larson portrays the characters, including the storm itself, in a way that you come to know them quite well.
I have lived through a few hurricanes in my time~ Hurricane Floyd back in 1999 being the worst I have experienced. I was living in North Carolina at the time. This storm was certainly not as deadly as the likes of Katrina, Camille, Hugo or Andrew, but did its share of damage.
The reason I decided to post about this book on this blog and not my others is that, as Erik Larson stated in his notes, the sea can be quite lovely but also quite deadly. The name of this blog also seems to be a reminder that indeed the voice, and the hand, of the Lord are upon the waters. With all that modern technology enables us to do, it does not give man the ability to control or sometimes even predict accurately all that the sea can do; only its Creator can do that. Man can only use the tools he has and hold a deep reverence and respect for what is in my humble opinion, God’s most awesome natural wonder.
You can read an excerpt from Isaac’s Storm here.
Learn more about the Galveston Hurricane here.
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