But while we can’t prevent natural disasters, we can prepare for them—”can” being the operative word. History has shown that, all too often, it isn’t nature itself causing the damage, but rather a combination of natural events and human greed and overconfidence. Here are five books about weather-related disasters from the past 131 years and how their destructive effects could have been mitigated by reasonable precautions. With climate change contributing to bigger and deadlier weather events every year, these are lessons well worth heeding. What I don’t remember learning (though it’s possible I have forgotten) is that the flood would not have happened if not for the modified dam, and the dam would not have been modified if not for a bunch of rich jerks who wanted a pretty lake for their exclusive resort. This book by beloved meteorologist Al Roker tells a more complete version of the flood and its aftermath. But of course, there was warning. Cuban meteorologists repeatedly told the U.S. Weather Bureau that the storm would hit Texas, and hit hard. But the Weather Bureau ignored them for several reasons (all of which were stupid), costing Galveston thousands of lives, millions in property damage, and its grand ambitions. In December 1952, a high pressure system settled over southern England, trapping the smog in London’s city limits. Thousands were sickened and killed. But most Londoners had no idea of the extent of the damage; they were too busy reading about a recently arrested serial killer. Nothing, Nobody is a minute-by-minute account of the quake by a journalist who was in the city at the time. Poniatowska invites readers to share her private thoughts as the disaster unfolded, as well as perspectives from dozens of others who suffered and survived the tragedy. Written in both English and Spanish, Voices from Puerto Rico gathers recollections, opinions, and even poems about the disaster. They tell of the fear, disillusionment, and perseverance in the days and weeks following the storm.
