Galveston, Summer 2021 ~ Read

Galveston’s name immediately evokes memories of several news-making Gulf Coast hurricanes and tropical storms, most recently Hurricane Harvey that dumped over 50 inches of rain on the Houston area in 2017, flooding over 300,000 structures, turning highways into rivers and causing over $120 billion worth of damage. What is it like to be on the front line of the coastal community, facing the landfall of the storm? How does it shape your everyday life, both in terms of physical attributes and mental attitude, especially when you know that these weather onslaughts have been a part of your reality since the beginning of times, and will continue and increase due to climate change effects?

Erik Larson’s book Isaac’s Storm paints a great picture of up-and-coming city of Galveston at the turn of last century, as well as the book’s protagonist, Isaac Monroe Cline, a real historical figure and a career man with the nascent national weather service. Isaac struggles to square his love for his trade and knowledge acquired in previous postings with a sense of impending doom as he attempts to make sense of the worrying signs leading up to Sept. 8th, 1900. The book does a great job of describing the perception in America at the time of the perceived “triumph” in the sphere of human knowledge and science advancement. Hubris is obscuring every inconsistency in weather patterns and warnings, and Galveston’s unprecedented growth in the previous two decades makes the town feel invincible.

The book delves quite a bit into the science of weather, but it is interesting and educational. This is the second Eric Larsen book I’ve read, and he continually impresses with the depth of research, and his ability to turn a non-fiction book into a hard-to-put-down read.