The Raging Sea: The Powerful Account of the Worst Tsunami in U.S. History (Paperback)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: bill stamps, lumber barge, ocean receded, Crescent City, Elk Creek, Front Street (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Citadel sped up production on this account of the most devastating tidal wave to hit the continental U.S. in response to the recent tsunami; originally scheduled to be published in April, the book should be in stores this month. It's a gripping narrative: lawyer and amateur tsunami scholar Powers describes how, in 1964, four successive waves spawned by an Alaskan earthquake struck Crescent City, Calif., a lumber and fishing town near the Oregon border, flooding the low-lying areas and killing 11 people (four children also drowned on the beach to the north). Broadcast warnings came too late to be useful, but earlier, less destructive waves raised an alarm that prompted many people to head for high ground before the later, more damaging onslaughts. Powers interviewed survivors whose stories read like good action fiction, such as septuagenarian Mabel Miller's memories of surviving the night trapped in her ruined house. Less fortunate was Air Force Sgt. Don McClure, who saved a friend at the cost of his own life, or Gary Clawson, who saw his fiancée and half his family drown when raging waters capsized a boat in which they were trying to escape blazing oil tanks. Powers points out the town never quite recovered from the destruction wrought by the tsunami, although this was in part due to the decline of the fishing and logging industries. This is a very readable narrative, and interest in tsunamis is no doubt at an all-time high. But compared to 2004's tsunami, 1964's tidal wave is very small.
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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Citadel (February 5, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0806526823
• ISBN-13: 978-0806526829
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #265,155 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #58 in	Books > History > United States > State & Local > Pacific Northwest
  #90 in	Books > Science > Nature & Ecology > Oceans & Seas > Oceanography

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Life in Crescent City would never be the same, May 2, 2005

By	Paul Tognetti "The real world is so much more... (Cranston, RI USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Being from the East Coast I cannot fathom the sheer terror of being caught up in a tsunami. Sure, we have powerful hurricanes to deal with nearly every year but in most cases people have plenty of advance notice and time to evacuate or make adequate preparations. This was certainly not the case in Crescent City, California on the evening of March 27, 1964.
In "The Raging Sea" author Dennis Powers has done a workmanlike job of recreating the events of that horrible and heartbreaking night. You will come to understand just what forces in nature bring about these killer waves. Knowing little or nothing about tsunamis, I was stunned to learn that an earthquake in Alaska could set in motion natural forces that would ultimately wreak death and destruction all along the West Coast on that fateful night. The residents of Crescent City and numerous other coastal towns had virtually no time to prepare. And they were really quite unaware of the dangers they were facing. Dennis Powers tells this remarkable story through the words of many of those who lived through it. It is compelling reading.
Once the seas finally began to recede and sunrise approached residents would come to realize the magnitude of the destruction. In downtown Crescent City there was practically nothing left. Eleven people had lost their lives and dozens more were injured. Virtually every building had been destroyed, roads were impassable and phone and electric service were non-existent. The smell of rotting fish was everywhere. Crescent City had endured the brunt of the tsunami and the community would face the monumental task of cleaning up and rebuilding after this disaster. Survivors could not help but wonder if their lives would ever be the same again. I found "The Raging Sea" to be an engaging and well written book that held my attention throughout. Recommended.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars heroic and heartbreaking narrative, June 24, 2006

By	Clinton Ervin "maximus" (Murfreesboro, TN USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Dennis Powers' account of the 1964 tsunami's destruction of Crescent City, CA is a mostly straightforward chronicle of events and narratives. The author focuses on the surprise element of this disaster, both in its arrival and in the scope of the devastation. He touches on many heroic and heartbreaking stories of the residents who experienced it. The transformation of the nature of Crescent City and its inhabitants, however, emerges as the central theme of this work. Some of the problems unique to this disaster remind me of similar occurrences, thus making this material more applicable or relatable. Those include problems with false alarms, as well as the problem of residents reentering potentially hazardous areas. These occurrences can be compared and contrasted with those of the World Trade Centers on 9-11 and the collapse of the levees in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.
This is a very readable narrative, full of engrossing stories of the death and destruction wrought by the tsunami. Powers' description of the events of Good Friday, 1964 is compelling viewed as history, human interest, or heroic drama. With interest in tsunamis and other calamities high, this book is a relevant addition to the literature of the genre.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Horrific situation--Heroic response, March 5, 2005

By	Audrey A. Demott (Central Point, OR) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I will never visit the sea again without remembering this book. Dennis Powers is a compelling story-teller. This is a riveting drama of the ultimate disaster, and of the ordinary folks in a small town who performed extraordinary feats of heroism.
This one makes stories about shark attacks pale in comparison.