Customer Reviews

Black Cloud: The Great Florida Hurricane of 1928

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Do you ever stop and shake your head at all of the apartment complexes, condominiums, beachfront homes and commercial enterprises that have sprung up all along the coastline? It would seem that many Americans are unaware of or have become indifferent to the danger posed by hurricanes. In "Black Cloud", Eliot Kleinberg describes the horrors of the second deadliest hurricane in U.S. history. An estimated 7000 people were killed in its wake. Kleinberg describes the unique set of circumstances in 1928 Florida that caused the overwhelming majority of the casualties to occur inland near Lake Okeechobee.
The author provides the fascinating history that led to the draining of the Everglades, and the ill-advised construction of a flimsy dike around Lake Okeechobee that contributed in a huge way to the incomprehensible loss of life that occured during this storm. As is true in a great many disasters, what occured here was the unfortunate combination of a great many circumstances. I found the book to be fairly well written and for the most part easy to follow. And as you might expect, race played a major role in how the situation was handled by both public officials and the population at large. If you are a history buff or are fascinated with natural disasters this is certainly a book you should consider.

I agree with other reviewers that spoke highly of this work. This book is deeply moving in its portrayal of how a natural disaster combined with ineffective governmental precautions, human arrogance, and racial inequity to create an unmitigated human tragedy. The portrayal of people from all across the board is unfettered by political correctness as the author explores the range from poor black laborers buried in mass graves to a reactionary black interest group that tried to discredit the Red Cross, one of the few organizations relatively prepared for this emergency.

The events in this book are made all the more tragic when one realizes that humans have learned precious little from this type of disaster. As the earth warms, whether caused by man or not, the probablility of catastrophic hurricanes reaching our coasts may dramatically increase. And yet we build on coastal land until the water has nowhere to go and we remain haughty in the face of natural power. We also ignore human factors seen in the 1928 storm that linger on in Florida.

I highly recommend reading this book within the context of modern times and possiblilities. Or, try immersing yourself (if you can get past the numerous "typos" in the book) in the world of early Florida settlement. Either way, you will embark on a heart-wrenching experience that will long be remembered.

Very good book and I would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in hurricanes or disasters. This hurricane is not very well know yet the deaths attributed to certainly qualifies it as a major disaster worthy of remembering. I bet most Floridians have never even heard about this event. Hopefully this book will change some of that. The author brings to life the hardships endured by the victims and describes how the disaster came about.

Hurricanes are part of the natural landscape of Florida. Having not grown up in this state (CA native), I was unaware of the historic frequency of storms and the consequences to so many unassuming souls who fell victim to the times, before technology such as we have on our laptops: timely and accurate information, could have given them a fighting chance.

This book is hugely worth reading. I learned about the "taming" of Lake Okeechobee, and how the consequences of those actions in the 20th century have resulted in a seriously compromised Everglades, which was once a huge wetland ecosystem, now polluted and compromising the entire Florida Bay and its renowned coral reefs.

I learned that the early National Weather Bureau depended on information transmitted from ships in the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico to learn of formation of storms. Those sailors performed the duties of our present day hurricane hunters.

I learned that it may well have been a single hurricane that took out numerous British ships (18) that provided a chance for the immigrants into this country to win their fight for independence from British rule.

I learned that real estate escalations, "flipping," and crashes have all happened before the present fiasco occurring in Florida at this time.

And most importantly - I learned of the historic treatment of blacks in the deep south, yet despite these incredible sorrows, Kleinberg believes that Florida is the most integrated of all the southern states, which provides some hope for healing of race relations, at least here.

I often feel that it is because of the influx of so many non natives to Florida, that we provide a consciousness that both uplifts and deeply contrasts with historic southern bigotry and racial hatred.

I have come to love Florida, despite the agony of watching each storm approach our lovely state. This book has given me a much better sense of place which I really appreciate.

I have several hurricane books which I recommend: Isaac's Storm (1900 Galveston, TX), The Great Hurricane of 1938 (New England), Holding Back the Sea: The Struggle on the Gulf Coast to Save America (LA, AL, MS, FL). Each book grounds me in the reality of living on the sea. True, "it" may never happen here, but these accounts help me find the energy to prepare for yet another season. (It's day two of the 2007 "Atlantic Hurricane Season" and we have already had 2 named storms.)

The hurricane that struck the West Palm Beach and Lake Okeechobee areas in 1928 was one of the deadliest in history to hit the American mainland - as many as 2,500 people were killed. (In comparison, Andrew, a much stronger hurricane, killed only 15 in 1992.) One reason for this, as Kleinberg points out, is that many of the houses in Florida up to the 1920s merely sat on their foundations and were not anchored down in any way; they were thus easily blown or knocked by water off their foundations and smashed to pieces, killing people trapped inside and casting deadly debris into the winds. Kleinberg does a good job of tracking the storm across the Atlantic (it devastated the Caribbean, especially Puerto Rico) and in capturing the high drama involved in withstanding the storm's fury after it hit the mainland. He plays the blame game to a degree with the weather service for not getting its forecasts totally correct and for overconfidence, but considering the meager technology of the day the service might have done the best it could (except in the humility department). Kleinberg also deals with the cleanup efforts and the role of the Red Cross, both of which fostered racist practices: blacks were often ordered to do much of the cleanup work without pay or even being fed, and the Red Cross was accused of giving 80% of their aid to whites while only 20% went to blacks. What to do with 2,500 dead bodies was a major problem; many of the dead (mostly black) were buried in mass graves or burned on funeral pyres. Some of Kleinberg's assessments show their pre-Katrina bent: perhaps the biggest irony in the book is near the end where he asks "could another 1928 disaster happen" to which he replies "the easy answer is no." So much for that belief. All in all, it's a good account of the 1928 hurricane and its aftermath.

A great story and one that needs to be told and retold so the disgraceful disservice to blacks and poor people of that era doesn't get lost as time goes by. Also wanted to mention what a great and gifted writer the author is... very vivid descriptions and nicely written so you feel he's talking directly to you. Unfortunately there is a fly in the ointment... certainly not at all the author's fault, but rather the fault of the publisher... the book is poorly edited for spelling and grammar errors... shame on you Basic Books... you spoiled the reading just a tad for me, especially towards the end of the book when the errors were more numerous. Get some editors who know their business! Otherwise, I would HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone who loves history, Florida, hurricanes, people, anything!... read it, you'll enjoy it immensely!