Author Talks About Hurricane History in an Active Hurricane Year

Hurricane destruction in Biloxi following Hurricane Katrina, 2005. Photo courtesy of FEMA

Tue 8/18 @ 7PM

With the 2020 hurricane season predicted to be so active —with nine storms already and hurricane season just getting started, experts are predicting we may run out of names (21 letters are used to name storms). Still, they’re saying we’re not likely to beat 2005 when there were 28 storms and Greek letters were used for the last seven. And yes, climate change — especially ocean warming — is believed to be responsible.

So author Eric Jay Dolin’s new book A Furious Sky: The Five Hundred Year History of America’s Hurricanes is a relevant read at this time. He looks all the way back to storms that impeded Christopher Columbus’ voyages, and brings us up to the present with headline-making events such as Katrina’s impact on New Orleans in 2005 and more recently, Maria’s devastating landfall on Puerto Rico in 2017. The author has a PhD in environmental studies and planning from MIT, and has held many jobs in climate-related areas. He’s also written 14 nonfiction books on such science- and history-related topics as lighthouses, the fur trade, whaling, and the cleanup of Boston Harbor, based on his PhD thesis.

You can hear him talk about the book and the impact of hurricanes on the U.S. when he is the guest of a live virtual streaming event hosted by the Hudson Library & Historical Society. The book can be purchased through Learned Owl Book Shop. The program is free, but registration is required to get the link. Go here.

96 Library Street, Hudson, OH 44236

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