In September of 1938, a giant hurricane threatened the eastern Florida coast. Instead, the storm skirted the coast and headed north. Cyclones traveling that route usually weaken by moving into the cold waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Veteran forecasters in Washington DC expected this storm to do the same, and issued only gale warning for states to the North.
However, this hurricane was like no other. It gained speed and headed straight for New England. Beachside residents used to late-Summer storms ignored the approaching foul weather. By the time they realized the severity of the storm, it was too late to flee.
The great New England Hurricane of 1938 was 500 miles in diameter, about the same size as Ohio. Winds clocked at 186 miles per hour were setting off seismographs in Alaska.
How could a storm of this size just sneak up on New England in 1938? Where was the communication break down? What factors allowed this hurricane to grow and strike in such al unlikely area? What happened after the storm? These questions and more are answered in Sudden Sea by R.A. Scotti.
The author is a Rhode Island native who grew up hearing stories of the great hurricane. First-hand accounts and previous publications provide the human experience generously featured in this work.
Sudden Sea is very interesting and quite easy to read. Scotti follows the path of the hurricane from it's birth in the south through its havoc in Canada. The vividly described ferocity of the storm consistently hold readers' attention. The book is equally as suspenseful as any mainstream fiction. Sudden Sea is worth your attention.
