I am reviewing the book “Sudden Sea” The Great Hurricane of 1938 by R.A Scotti
*In combination with the book I would recommend visiting the NOAA website that helps show both location and intensity of the Great Hurricane as it builds, receeds, and builds again throughout the Atlantic Ocean.
*Another additional NOAA map (here) shows the tremendous amount of rain that the surrounding states and counties experienced during this time.
Hurricanes are natural storms that you very often hear about on the weather channels. They are called a variety of different things depending on their location. In the Pacific Ocean they are typhoons, in the Tasman Sea the Australians give it the name willy-willy, and in the North Atlantic it’s called a Hurricane. Hurricanes are what are known as a tropical cyclone. These are swirling masses of water vapor that are traveling at incredible speeds with more energy than the United States used in 6 months.
In this book the author R.A Scotti hones in on one of the most devastating natural disasters that has struck the United States. The Hurricane in 1938 was very unique in nature and didn’t act like normal hurricanes tend to act. He sets the scene on the East Coast describing the lush towns of New England and Rhode Island. The active fishing communities were thriving in the September heat catching so much fish “…you could lean over the side of the boats and scoop them up.” Scotti goes into detail of some of the families living along the many bays. The Caswell family for instance takes up residence in the Narragansett Bay region and prospers greatly from Philip Caswell’s cottage rentals, to Norm Caswell’s delivery service. Scotti also alludes to how perfect the days have been in September for residents of the coast. New England at the time was referred to as “a summer idyll on the very edge of the coast” with people flocking from distant places in order to catch rays at their summer beach houses. However New England was in their own world of paradise because they also thought a Hurricane couldn’t crush what they had going at the time.
In the days leading up to September 21st 1938, Grady Norton and Gordan Dunn both weather forecasters in the United States Weather Bureau, were the best of the best at predicting storms. When the Hurricane started to brew down in the Caribbean they had the best information available in order to map and predict the direction of the storm. Scotti does an excellent job at describing the detail and to the length these guys went to in order give the most accurate/up to date information to state and local governments. They even had cots set up in their weather station to monitor the storm 24/7 from September 16th to the morning of September 21st.
The special nature of this Hurricane started in the Caribbean and moved northwest towards Florida. Florida was high alert that an incoming storm was heading straight towards them on the morning of September 17th. Taking all precautions, Florida was bracing for what could be a category 5 (the highest rating for tropical storms) Hurricane. However, due to a system of dense dry air called the Bermuda High most Hurricanes that sweep up the Caribbean tend to be re-directed out to sea in a North-Northeast pattern. As the hurricane was going on a route out back to sea most coastal states down played their watches into warnings. Charles Pierce, another forecaster for the Weather Bureau, stated that this New England Hurricane was “one of the most unusual, and from the viewpoint of the meteorologist, one of the most interesting storms in history.” After the warnings were issued the storm started to do something that a lot of forecasters have never seen before. Above all this was a 100 year storm, meaning that it has a 1% chance of occurring…Despite professional opinions and probabilities, the New England Hurricane started to once again gain speed in a North-Northwestern pattern this time.
Not only was this a powerful storm but there were many circumstances that added to the devastation that occurred afterwards. As the storm went out to sea the warnings and watches slowly diminished as it inched its way a few hundred miles off the coast north towards New York. With speed as it’s secret the Hurricane rushed towards some of the most populated cities in the United States. As if the rain didn’t give it away (Figure 1.1 below) the wind gusts were over 100 mph and people in Long Island were forced to crawl back into their disintegrating homes. Once the Hurricane was raining down on Long Island it knocked out all means of communications to the next town northward. That meant that Long Island couldn’t alert Connecticut and Connecticut couldn’t alert Rhode Island and so on. What happened the morning of September 21st 1938 will forever be locked in history and has even changed the way the Weather Bureau tracks storms to this day.
The destruction caused by the Great Hurricane of 1938 was enormous
· 20,000 buildings
· 26,000 cars
· 93,000 families suffered property loss
· Seventy-two million feet of wire
· 400 miles of cable
· 31,000 telephone poles
· 100,000 relief workers dispatched by Roosevelt
· Railroads and most major roads were either whipped out or completely littered with debris.
· Estimated $4.7 billion in todays dollar
· Fatalities totaled 682 with over 1,754 people injured.
Scotti’s book is an excellent description of the events that unfolded that dreary week in September along the East Coast. As I read the book, I wasn’t much a fan of how it started by describing the pleasant little town with families that I felt had no context. However, as I read on, Scotti started to address the physical characteristics of the hurricane and eventually brought the towns back into the mix by how each family in the beginning was affected by such a disaster in the end. Scotti also sheds light on a topic that many don’t realize even happened. That very same attitude of “that won’t happen to us” is an attitude that is tested by events such as this. It is very possible that another 100 year storm could be brewing in the Caribbean within the near future.
· Overall: Quick and easy read that slowly pulls you into the lives of the communities that suffered such an onslaught of disaster.
