Isaacs Storm by Erik Larsen - Book Report/Review Example

 Isaac’s Storm by Erik Larsen Galveston in Texas, a prosperous city and a major ship port, took the battering by Isaac’s Storm in 1900, and as such the book belonged to Texas. People were not ignorant about the forces of Nature, there was a meteorological department that regularly monitored the weather conditions, and in that year Isaac Cline was in charge of that agency. The influence of religion on the minds of the people was profound and they believed that God’s WILL controlled weather and as such it should be the topic for arguments and counter- arguments. But this city alone accounted for deaths of over 8,000 people on September 9. Science of meteorology, though in its infancy, did not work on guesswork, instead possessed modern weather instruments. But knowing about the conditions that were going to be generate a storm and predicting its course, were two separate scientific issues. Eric Larson writes, “The nation in 1900 was swollen with pride and technological confidence."(Larson, 2000, 5)When the storm would attack the landfall from the ocean, where would it do so? No one was in a position to answer this question precisely. In his submission before the authorities and putting blame on the Washington authorities, about Isaac’s argument the author writes, "'The system, he told Congress, helped explain why Weather Bureau employees had to be committed to insane asylums more often than employees of any other federal agency. He said this with pride."(Larson, 2000, 73) But the port-mortem of the issue was necessary for the future benefit of the country to deal with such calamities. Identify the Author’s Thesis and Perspective (historiographical school) Identifying a precise thesis by Eric Larson about this book is as difficult as it is for the weather authorities to predict the arrival of the storm. Yet the author has discussed the perspective and works on his thesis with considerable skill and application. Firstly, this is a book about a natural disaster, where research has its limitations. The year 1900 is not a science-dominated year as for weather predictions, and people relate divinity with nature’s wrath. The author has done a systematic research on a subject as per precise calculations and predictions. Firstly, he has researched the events leading to the storm and by giving the description about the hurricane itself. He has relied on first-hand accounts and his imaginings as the author and takes the reader to the center of experience by the enormous suffering caused to the victims of the storm. When a man tries to write the history on the natural disaster of an unprecedented scale, and if he tries to play the role of the complainant, witness, lawyer and the judge who is delivering the judgment, the reader is put in a difficult position to get at the true merits and truth of the case. Similar is the predicament of Isaac Cline in this context. Historians will continue to interpret his role and the final question, whether he is to be pitied or condemned, is impossible to answer. One hundred and thirteen years have elapsed since the disaster strikes Galveston. No one is alive from the side of the rescuing team and the near and dear ones of those who perishes on that day. The author asserts that Isaac and his superiors try to protect people and magnify their achievements in saving them. He argues that Isaac deeply regrets his failings to do more, the sad memories haunt throughout his life for this major historical lapse which is difficult to condone. Great challenges cannot be accepted through normal procedures and if he has taken the warnings and input about the storm that comes from Cuba seriously, the picture would have been entirely different as for the number of losses of human lives. The author writes about the personality of Isaac "...the portrait suggests vanity, that Isaac saw himself as something bigger than a mere recorder of rainfall and temperature. He was a scientist, not some farmer who gaged the weather by aches in a rheumatoid knee."(Larson, 2000, 4) Isaac fails in this area, but cannot summon courage to admit it, and presents another version of the number of lives that he is instrumental in saving. Specific Strengths and Weaknesses of the Author’s argument and evidence The author is not dealing with or doing research on a historical monument, not does have the support of records from the archives. He is working on the topic of natural disaster, that has almost taken all concerned, the authorities in charge of disaster management and the actual suffers, by surprise. So, trying to find weakness in the writings of the author, I consider, will be inappropriate. The book is criticized for the lack of photographs about the terrible disaster, but the author has substituted these shortcomings, if at all it can be called the shortcoming, by giving a verbatim report of the happenings. When a hurricane strikes, going by the level of scientific developments available then, and in the absence of satellite communications, no one can be expected to click the photographs furiously, of the fury of the storm. Sibling rivalries are there in all professions, and the weather bureau of Galveston is no exception and the bureau officials are wise enough to dismiss the warning about the storm. The prevailing political climate is also not conducive to take decisions on the merit of the issue. The author’s argument that the warnings from Cuba should have been given due consideration and the accurate predictions from the Cuban meteorologists who chartered the reliable course and true magnitude of the storm, but the American weather officials are still wandering in the wonderland and issue soft bulletins assuring the people that they need to brace with high velocity winds and rain only. Notwithstanding the fact that the storm is in Cuba, officials in U.S. authorities take the matter lightly and believe that Galveston is, unlikely to be impacted by the currents in the open ocean. An official statement is issued on 6th September: "The storm will probably continue slowly northward and its effects will be felt as far as the lower portion of the middle Atlantic coast by Friday night." (Larson, 2000, 113) Instead of the Atlantic Coast, the hurricane moves with rapid speed towards Galveston, challenging the ships directly on 8th September. Passengers in the steamships survive but the city-dwellers are most unfortunate. The nature of warning that is unheeded, and one of them is from Dr. Young, a meteorologist and neighbor of Isaac Cline reads thus: "Thursday afternoon, he wrote, the tide was again high and the water very rough, while the atmosphere had that peculiar hazy appearance that generally precedes a storm." (Larson, 2000, 130) The city pays a heavy penalty for discrediting the Cuban forecasters. The weather officials strike the procedural hassles on the 9th when things take the serious turn. Isaac has no authority to issue warnings about the storm, so as a desperate measure he advises the people to vacate and reach the higher grounds. To issue warnings of such nature permission from Washington D.C. is needed, as the term “Hurricane” is not liked by the officials there on the plea that it creates panic amongst the people. Isaac virtually incites the people to run for safety. Those who do not pay heed to his advice, pay with their lives. The casual attitude of the people must take equal blame apart from the lapse of the weather officials. When finally hurricane knocks out the communication lines cutting off Galveston from the rest of the nation, the worst is not yet over, it is just the beginning. Conclusion: The author has done well on the subjects he attempts to cover, and he has dealt with the scientific angles of the Galveston Hurricane and the tragedy relates to the failure of human reasoning to meet its challenge. He takes the reader to the time period and gives accounts of the disaster from the firsthand witnesses. The author argues how societal beliefs score over facts tendered by the scale of scientific research facilities available in the era. People strongly believe that hurricanes will not strike Texas. That the people refuse to believe in the might of the nature and yet carry on with their routine jobs speaks about the shocking level of their mental progression, and the city has to sacrifice about 10000 people and colossal loss of property to understand the might of nature. Reference List Larson, Erik. 2000. Isaac's Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History. Vintage. Read More