Shelter from the storms
SUMMER COTTAGES and homes, many of them occupied by coastal residents, disappeared without warning when the Great Hurricane struck on the afternoon of Sept. 21, 1938. Survivors described a scene in which flying debris became lethal missiles. Chunks of shattered concrete seawalls pummeled buildings. With no warning, residents were ill prepared for this catastrophic event.
Recent increases in North Atlantic Ocean water temperatures suggest that intense hurricanes will once again savage the nearby coast, though exactly when is anybody's guess. This year's hurricane season starts next Thursday, so it's time to ponder the worrisome outlook.
Led by the disastrous Hurricane Katrina with its more than 1,300 fatalities, 14 such storms formed in the Atlantic in 2005, the most for any year. New Englanders have been luckier and have been spared the ravages of violent hurricanes in recent decades.
As the generation that experienced the destruction of the Great Hurricane dwindles, this generation has given a low priority to the risks associated with moving to coastal environments. Coastal populations continue to grow, measured in the tens of millions now as opposed to a few million in 1938.
Viewed as huge energy machines fueled by the rapid evaporation of their heated water, Atlantic hurricanes pose a serious threat to our northern coastal regions. Calculated in current dollars, property losses from the Great Hurricane exceeded $20.8 billion. To this day, it remains the eighth most devastating hurricane in the nation's history. A similar one today would cause property losses exceeding $150 billion. Proper preparation begins by understanding the disruptive power of a past catastrophe.
The Great Hurricane was such an event. In the absence of useful weather forecasting, the storm surge caused by this category 5 hurricane struck Long Island with such force during the autumnal equinox that it registered on the earthquake seismograph in Alaska. In addition, as the gravity of a new moon tugged at sea levels, helping them to rise 18 to 25 feet above normal, waves dumped millions of tons of seawater on shocked residents.
The eye of this storm was 50 miles across and 500 miles wide, with wind gusts of 180 mph. With a forward speed of 70 mph, the fastest on record, the hurricane moved so rapidly that many areas, including New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts, were struck simultaneously and without warning.
By late afternoon, flooding inundated communities from New London to Cape Cod. The wind and high tides submerged Providence under 20 feet of seawater during the evening rush hour. The rising waters swamped people who were riding buses and trains, driving automobiles, or walking.
Most survived. Many others who were trapped in buildings dropped sheets and ropes to those being pulled by the raging waters. Although more than 90 people died in the city (estimated total fatalities were 600), it would take another 16 years and the flooding caused by Hurricane Carol in 1954 for government agencies to construct floodgates to hold back storm surges in Providence.
In anticipation of the beginning of this hurricane season, the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration deployed seven new weather buoys in the Atlantic last month to track the movement of violent storms. Such tracking systems were mostly unknown in 1938.
Although early warnings are essential and helpful, coastal communities should develop staged evacuation plans using coastal waters as well as roadways to prevent the kind of gridlock that we witnessed in Houston last summer when it was threatened by a hurricane. For people who opt to ride out a storm, auxiliary power generators should become household items, not panic purchases made as a storm moves up the coast. Businesses and homeowners should consider stockpiling non perishable food, simple water purification kits, and plywood to secure windows.
Recent hurricanes have led to insurance company bankruptcies, escalating premiums, and denial of coverage to millions of residents, leaving them without a safety net. Even federal flood and disaster relief can collapse under the weight of recurring natural disasters.
As more Americans search for sun, surf, and the amenities of coastal living, they need to understand that their dreams of a comfortable life can be disrupted by unexpected, violent weather. The oceans have been an inspiration for our literature, history, and art; they are also the graveyard for countless thousands of victims. Let's not add to these numbers.
Anthony N. Penna is the author of ``Nature's Bounty: Historical and Modern Environmental Perspectives." He teaches environmental history at Northeastern University. 
