Customer Reviews

North Carolina's Hurricane History

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The author, an aquarium director in coastal North Carolina, does a remarkable job (especially for a non-meteorologist) of documenting the impact of every hurricane which affected North Carolina since 1875. Each storm -- including some hurricanes that made landfall elsewhere but passed across the state -- gets its own narrative which variews in length according to the storm's impact. Fran (1996), the costliest and fifth deadliest hurricane in state history, gets big coverage with 32 pages. The chronological stories of each storm are spread across several chapters covering most of the book, which are in turn sandwiched between a general introduction to hurricanes and a chapter on Nor'easters. The final few chapters -- on Nor'easters (cold core winter cyclones), hurricane effects on fauna, potential for future danger, and hurricane safety -- appear roughly cobbled together as if there were no logical order for them. Still, the collection of stories of animals' life and death in North Carolina hurricanes is quite interesting, and unique among books dealing with the impact of weather phenomena.

For a historical volume, the writing style is engaging, vividly descriptive and occasionally humorous. Nowhere else in weather related literature have I read about local speech patterns ("Hoigh toide on the sound soide") together with graphic descriptions of mayhem's aftermath, like "...battered caskets and bones lay scattered, unearthed by the hurricane's menacing storm surge."

Some of the stories of human survival, heroism and death in hurricanes are more bizarre and ghastly than fiction could conjure. These tales, together with an accurate factual record of the storms and a rich collection of black and white photos, show the tremendous effort and attention to detail by Barnes in his historical research.

The book does suffer aesthetically from its drab printing, with only cover color, by UNC Press. Such obvious parsimony, unfortunately, exemplifies the policies of many university-affiliated presses. But since substance trumps form; I deem this to be a fine non-technical addition to the literature of any hurricane enthusiast.

I figured that before I bought this book that it would be on the same level as the Florida's Hurricane History. I was somewhat disappointed as the this book does not contain nearly as much detail as the one on Florida. Some of the hurricanes mentioned just have a brief little blurb about them and it is hard to believe that more information couldn't have been found to elaborate on them. Some of the the storms such as Donna and Hazel were extremely destructive in other parts of the Atlantic but any mention of that is brief unlike in Florida's Hurricane History where although the main focus is on the storm's effects in Florida, the storm's effects elsewhere are more detailed. Still a good book if you want to get info on North Carolina's hurricanes.

Anyone interested in the history of hurricanes anywhere in this hemisphere will enjoy this book. North Carolina is the focus and subject, of course, but Barnes includes some information on other areas and storm lore in general. Animal lovers will enjoy one of the last chapters, where we hear how the state's dogs and horses make out when the storms come.

Mostly this is, as advertised, a history of North Carolina's hurricanes. Particular attention is given to storms like Hazel and Fran, in 1954 and 1996, respectively, that did extensive damage. Readers may notice the long breaks in time between storm activity. Time that allows overconfidence, overbuilding and disaster memory to fade.

Once again Jay Barnes has outdone himself with a very informative and educational book about the destruction and aftermath that Hurricanes cause to the east coast of the United States.Being a resident of North Carolina for the forty seven years of my life I can relate to his book with personal conviction and enthusiasm.I have experienced numerous hurricanes on my own from up close and from afar and Jay has captured these moments and others with remarkable exactness!This is a must read book for anyone interested in the unbelievable effects of Mother Nature at her best being for personal information or educational purposes! It is obvious Mr. Barnes has done his homework throughly and I anxiously await further editions and updates of future endeaveors that Jay Barnes has to offer!

We have read Jay Barnes' Florida's Hurricane History and enjoyed it so much that we wanted to read the NC book. We found the newest edition that includes Floyd in 1999. What a disaster! The book reads very well, and is full of interesting facts and amazing stories about Floyd and other storms. The photos are incredible (one of the things I liked about the Fla. book). I also like the charts in the back that list data for each storm. Weather buffs need both of these books.

Having owned the book for a year, I've gotten a good chance to review the book. It is full of useful hurricane information for the state of North Carolina, but omits a couple of powerful, well-known storms that affected the state in the past which are included in his Florida Hurricane History (an oversight?). Although it is not complete, it is a good non-technical reference for those who wish to see how hurricanes impact the Tar Heel State. Even for meteorologists, it gives a good overview of hurricane activity. It is a book worth owning.

Jay Barnes' "North Carolina's Hurricane History" is a great resource on all hurricanes to strike North Carolina through 1999.

Drawn primarily from newspaper and other contemporaneous accounts, Barnes chronologically recounts every hurricane to strike North Carolina with individual entries for each storm. Although Barnes' story starts in the sixteenth century, his accounts of older hurricanes are, for obvious reasons, shorter and sketchier than the modern (post-WWII) hurricanes. He writes longer entries on the more notable and important hurricanes, such as Hazel, Fran, and Floyd, but he even includes hurricanes that struck other areas (such as the Gulf Coast) and only affected North Carolina through heavy rains and flooding. Barnes story also reminds us living in this era of increased hurricane activity that some time periods, such as the late 1950s, were just as bad.

The book does have a couple of weaknesses. Although each hurricane entry includes a small map showing the hurricane's path, the book needed a comprehensive map of eastern North Carolina as a reference for the reader. Even the lifelong downeasters might need a map to identify every county, town, and hamlet that Barnes writes about. Also, Barnes leaves out of his story the advances in hurricane tracking and forecasting, so there is no real social context behind many of these storms (the unrealized fears of the bigger storms, or the sudden and unexpected storms of the pre-satellite era).

Overall, this is a very good and informative reference on all of the hurricanes to have struck North Carolina through 1999. Unfortunately, the book was published before Isabel in 2003, because it would have fit well into this narrative. This book is a great resource for any North Carolinian or anyone interested in hurricanes and other storms.

EXCELLENT COVERAGE OF THE STATES HURRICANES WITH ENOUGH DETAIL AND STORIES TO MAKE IT INTERESTING READING. SOMETIMES TOUGH TO STAY WITH THE BOOK BECAUSE EACH HURRICANE HAS HIGH WINDS AND HIGH WATER AND THERE ARE ONLY SO MANY WAYS TO DESCRIBE THESE EVENTS. EXCELLENT REFERENCE OF DATES AND HAPPENINGS.

A very exciting and enjoyable book!! Not many books chronicling such subjects as the immense power and effects of nature, so well balance facts relative to and its influence on us. A detailed view high up through the eyes of mother nature provides account of the lethal choreography of her daughters most dangerous dance as she makes entrance to the stage by way of North Carolina. .......Tony Sluder Durham NC

A very exciting and enjoyable book!! Not many books chronicling such subjects as the immense power and effects of nature, so well balance facts relative to and its influence on us. A detailed view high up through the eyes of mother nature provides account of the lethal choreography of her daughters most dangerous dance as she makes entrance to the stage by way of North Carolina.