''Isaac's Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History'' is a 2000 ''New York Times'' bestseller by Erik Larson presented in a

non-fiction Nonfiction, or non-fiction, is any document or media content that attempts, in good faith, to provide information (and sometimes opinions) grounded only in facts and real life, rather than in imagination. Nonfiction is often associated with b ...

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others asp ...

ic style. The book follows the events immediately preceding, during, and after the

1900 Galveston hurricane The 1900 Galveston hurricane, also known as the Great Galveston hurricane and the Galveston Flood, and known regionally as the Great Storm of 1900 or the 1900 Storm, is the deadliest natural disaster in United States history and the third-de ...

. The book is set in turn-of-the-century Galveston, Texas, a bustling port, placing a primary focus on the role of Isaac Cline in the hurricane's destruction of Galveston.

Synopsis

The book opens with a restless Isaac Cline on the night of September 7, 1900, the eve of the

's landfall. Isaac, despite all of the meteorological signs saying otherwise, cannot shake the uneasy feeling that something is amiss. Larson follows this prologue with a look at the science of hurricanes and all of the unusual factors that may have led to the hurricane that season. The initial birth of the storm is described with Larson's speculation on hurricane formation. Larson follows the path of the storm up to Galveston, while also looking at the people of Galveston and the vitality of the city. The narrative is supported by the insertion of letters and telegrams surrounding the events of the storm. The

meteorologist A meteorologist is a scientist who studies and works in the field of meteorology aiming to understand or predict Earth's atmospheric phenomena including the weather. Those who study meteorological phenomena are meteorologists in research, while t ...

s of

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

are shown to be very skilled in the art, but are completely ignored by the overconfident Weather Bureau and its meteorologists. The hurricane passes over Cuba, and the Cubans predict it to be heading towards Texas. The Weather Bureau, however, disagrees and believes that the storm will track towards Florida. Larson, meanwhile, looks at the lives of multiple Galveston residents on the eve of the storm, specifically Isaac Cline. He is a curious family man who risks his life to save his family. A storm begins to roll in and the streets begin to flood, not an unusual occurrence, but conditions soon worsen and the water continues to rise. Suddenly, from the mainland's view, Galveston goes quiet with no news or telegrams reaching anyone. Meanwhile, in Galveston, the storm literally uproots half the island and kills thousands, leaving utter destruction for the surviving. Rumors swirl on the mainland, and soon the full extent of the horror is realized. The islanders are left to rebuild their ruined city. Isaac has lost his wife and doubts himself some. The islanders rebuild the island, raising it by several feet in the process, but the city was never to return to its former glory with nearby Houston taking over Galveston's position as the prominent port in Texas.

Isaac Cline

Isaac Monroe Cline (1861–1955) was the chief meteorologist at the Galveston, Texas office of the U.S. Weather Bureau from 1889 to 1901. Cline played an important role in influencing the storm's later destruction by authoring an article for the ''

Galveston Daily News ''The Daily News'', formerly the ''Galveston County Daily News'' and ''Galveston Daily News'', is a newspaper published in Galveston, Texas, United States. It was first published April 11, 1842, making it the oldest newspaper in the U.S. state o ...

'', in which he derided the idea of significant damage to Galveston from a

hurricane A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...

as "a crazy idea". This article played a significant role in preventing the construction of a proposed

seawall A seawall (or sea wall) is a form of coastal defense constructed where the sea, and associated coastal processes, impact directly upon the landforms of the coast. The purpose of a seawall is to protect areas of human habitation, conservation ...

following the destruction of a competing port, Indianola, in the

1886 Indianola hurricane The 1886 Indianola Hurricane was a powerful tropical cyclone that destroyed the town of Indianola, Texas in August 1886, remarkably impacting the history and economic development of Texas. It was the fifth and strongest hurricane of the 1886 Atla ...

. Cline is credited during the 1900 hurricane with violating Weather Bureau policy and unilaterally issuing a hurricane warning; this warning, however, came too late to allow residents to evacuate the island. During the hurricane, Isaac went home to his pregnant wife, three daughters, and younger brother. There the Clines attempted to ride out the storm; however, the flood waters lifted the house and the family was separated for a time with Cline's wife, Cora, ultimately drowning.

Awards

* The Louis J. Battan Author's Award

References

External links

Author's Website

Kirkus ReviewPresentation by Larson on ''Isaac's Storm'', November 6, 1999
C-SPAN
Presentation by Larson on ''Isaac's Storm'', August 22, 2000
C-SPAN
Book group discussion on ''Isaac's Storm'', November 21, 2005
C-SPAN {{Authority control 2000 non-fiction books Random House books Galveston Hurricane of 1900 History books about Texas Books about meteorology Works about hurricanes