by Jay Barnes
Second Edition
424 pp., 139 photos, 87 maps, 3 tables
$24.95 paperback, $39.95 hardcover
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The Sunshine State has an exceptionally stormy past. Vulnerable to
storms that arise in the Atlantic, Caribbean, and Gulf of Mexico,
Florida has been hit by far more hurricanes than any other state. In
many ways, hurricanes have helped shape Florida's history. Early efforts
by the French, Spanish, and English to claim the territory as their own
were often thwarted by hurricanes. More recently, storms have affected
such massive projects as Henry Flagler's Overseas Railroad and efforts
to manage water in South Florida.
In this book, Jay Barnes offers a fascinating and informative look at
Florida's hurricane history. Drawing on meteorological research, news
reports, firstperson accounts, maps, and historical photographs, he
traces all of the notable hurricanes that have affected the state over
the last fourandahalf centuries, from the great storms of the early
colonial period to the devastating hurricanes of 2004 and 2005Charley,
Frances, Ivan, Jeanne, Dennis, Katrina, and Wilma.
In addition to providing a comprehensive chronology of more than one
hundred individual storms, Florida's Hurricane History includes
information on the basics of hurricane dynamics, formation, naming, and
forecasting. It explores the origins of the U.S. Weather Bureau and
government efforts to study and track hurricanes in Florida, home of the
National Hurricane Center. But the book does more than examine how
hurricanes have shaped Florida's past; it also looks toward the future,
discussing the serious threat that hurricanes continue to pose to both
lives and property in the state.
Filled with more than 200 photographs and maps, the book also features a
foreword by Steve Lyons, tropical weather expert for the Weather
Channel. It will serve as both an essential reference on hurricanes in
Florida and a remarkable source of the storiesof tragedy and
destruction, rescue and survivalthat foster our fascination with
these powerful storms.
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