The Great Storm of 1900

So, now everyone knows that I love to go to Galveston. I'm reading this book, "Isaac's Storm" about the hurricane that wiped out the Island in September 1900. It killed 8000 people. The book is fascinating to me, having visited Galveston probably 9 times in the last 12 years. I can visualize all the places he refers to. I've read all the monuments and memorials scattered about the island and I feel connected to it.

I'm also a weather nerd. I wanted to be a meteorologist growing up (and a sports announcer, but that's neither here nor there...) and did science fair projects on tornados. But then, so did half the 5th grade. I'm in awe of storms, be it thunderstorms or hurricanes, tornados or blizzards.

This book is not only about the history and fate of Galveston, but the history and personality of this huge storm. It also tells about the beginnings of the Weather Service and how the science of forecasting evolved over time. It's absolutely fascinating. (I've used that word already, but I can't think of another one.)

I write all this to say, read this book! It's humbling for mankind. These people thought they had it all figured out, the weather, that is. Just when they thought they were on top of things, bam...not so much. Is that where we are in terms of say, global warming (if it exists- but that's a whole other blog entry for another day)?

We think we know, but we have no idea.