The Storm of the Century

Tragedy, Heroism, Survival, and the Epic True Story of America's Deadliest Natural Disaster: The Great Gulf Hurricane of 1900

By: Al Roker, William Hogeland

Narrated by: Byron Wagner

In this gripping narrative history, Al Roker from NBC’s Today and the Weather Channel vividly examines the deadliest natural disaster in American history—a haunting and inspiring tale of tragedy, heroism, and resilience that is full of lessons for today’s new age of extreme weather.

On the afternoon of September 8, 1900, two-hundred-mile-per-hour winds and fifteen-foot waves slammed into Galveston, the booming port city on Texas’s Gulf Coast. By dawn the next day, the city that hours earlier had stood as a symbol of America’s growth and expansion was now gone. Shattered, grief-stricken survivors emerged to witness a level of destruction never before seen: Eight thousand corpses littered the streets and were buried under the massive wreckage. Rushing water had lifted buildings from their foundations, smashing them into pieces, while wind gusts had upended steel girders and trestles, driving them through house walls and into sidewalks. No race or class was spared its wrath. In less than twenty-four hours, a single storm had destroyed a major American metropolis—and awakened a nation to the terrifying power of nature.

Blending an unforgettable cast of characters, accessible weather science, and deep historical research into a sweeping and dramatic narrative, The Storm of the Century brings this legendary hurricane and its aftermath into fresh focus. No other natural disaster has ever matched the havoc caused by the awesome mix of winds, rain, and flooding that devastated Galveston and shocked a young, optimistic nation on the cusp of modernity. Exploring the impact of the tragedy on a rising country’s confidence—the trauma of the loss and the determination of the response—Al Roker illuminates the United States’s character at the dawn of the “American Century,” while also underlining the fact that no matter how mighty they may become, all nations must respect the ferocious potential of our natural environment.

Good story poorly read.

It is a book filled with a lot of interesting information expertly written. Strikes a great balance of being entertaining and instructive but you wouldn't know by the way it's read. A case study of having inflections in all the wrong places.

Wonderful and accurate

Much research and interviewing went into this story. The voice of the reader was pleasant.

Brilliantly written and thereby illuminating,

Would you consider the audio edition of The Storm of the Century to be better than the print version?

I enjoy both mediums. Through any form this historical catastrophe should be a must read for all public servants from grass-root groups straight up to the highest office of the land. Considering our brand of democracy is only as good as the education of its citizenry, each and every American, and citizens of any nation should be aware of how much our elective officials and greater still how much each citizen is prepared for disasters that WILL happen.

What did you like best about this story?

The humanizing approach of the community that went a long way to make the reader KNOW that but for the grace of God...

What about Byron Wagner’s performance did you like?

His abililty to keep the reader engaged as well as perplexed by the human frailities of character that played critical roles in the scope of this tragic catastrophy. Therefore this event was not just a natural castrophy.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Yes! Maybe naively, I conistently marveled at the egos that contributed to the scope of the handling of this disaster.

Any additional comments?

I hope Al Roker, with his depth and expertise in his field as well as his keen observation of human behavior, writes more on human conditions intersecting with nature and the unique historical outcomes.

Great book.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. It perfectly told the story from many different perspectives while also educating the reader on the weather bureau etc.

One complaint: learn to say our words for places like Sabine pass. It can’t be that hard to find someone to ask how it’s pronounced in our area.

Interesting

Interesting meteorology and history lessons, good personal stories. As a Galveston local it was unfortunate the reader mispronounced so many names of places.