Books for Hurricane Season

Book Buzz is a blog produced in collaboration with neighborhood librarians from Houston Public Library, Harris County Public Library and the Bellaire Library.

Loud wind and never ending rain. That is the memory I have of Hurricane Carla in 1961.  We stayed huddled in the middle of the house, bedding on the floor, listening to the rain and wind. Being assigned a candle was a big responsibility and I remember feeling very grown up.  

Fast forward to Hurricane Ike in 2008 and my perspective was a little different.  My dad was here for a heart procedure and the storm hit before I could get him back home to East Texas so we rode the storm out sharing memories of Carla. This time, the lack of electricity was not as thrilling as the responsibility of taking care of someone during a hurricane loomed on my mind.  I now appreciate how my parents felt in 1961.

Unlike tornadoes, hurricanes often allow enough warning time to evacuate or hunker down during the storm and the aftermath. Often when years have gone by and there have not been hurricane landfalls people can become complacent and are unprepared, the reason we receive so many reminders. Think just for a moment how dependent we are on wireless devices for entertainment and communication, how fast we receive news and alerts.

Isaac's Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History by Erik Larson tells the story of the 1900 Galveston hurricane – the deadliest natural disaster in American history. The book, a bestseller in 2000, tells the story of Isaac Cline, resident meteorologist for the U.S. Weather Bureau. Using Cline's own telegrams, letters, and reports, the testimony of scores of survivors, Erik Larson writes a powerful and suspenseful the story about a great uncontrollable force of nature.

While we may never experience another storm like that, check out this book and other titles at your local library as you prepare for the hurricane season. Keep a book or two handy during a storm.  They work without electricity.