We're now in the heart of the 2006 hurricane season, which runs from June 1-November 30. Alberto, Beryl, Chris, Debby, Ernesto, and Florence have come and gone. Gordon and Helene are prowling the Atlantic. Thirteen more names are on reserve for storms yet to form.
That's a snapshot of the current storm situation. For the long view, a good place to begin is LOWCOUNTRY HURRICANES, the brand new history of hurricanes and tropical storms along the Georgia-South Carolina seaboard. Walter J. Fraser Jr. covers more than eighty storms, from 1686 to recent times, telling how these awesome natural forces have affected people and altered the built and natural environment from St. Mary's, Georgia to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
History buffs will appreciate how Fraser uses firsthand accounts to tell his story. Weatherbugs can rest assured that he makes use of data accumulated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/National Weather Service.
Meet Walter J. Fraser Jr.:
E. Shaver Bookseller
Savannah, GA
912-234-725
Tues., Oct 3, 2006 at 3 p.m.
Charleston County Public Library
Charleston, SC
843-805-6930
Thurs., Oct. 5, 2006 at 7 p.m.
Georgetown County Library
Georgetown, SC
843-545-3300
Fri., Oct. 6, 2006 at 12:00 p.m.
Coastal Georgia Historical Society
St. Simons, GA
912-638-4666
Thurs., Oct. 19, 2006 at 7 p.m.
Hurricane Resources:
NASA's hurricane site includes some beautiful hurricane images taken from the space station and a nicely done printable hurricane fact sheet.
Hurricane preparedness information is available for Georgia and South Carolina, the two states on which LOWCOUNTRY HURRICANES focuses.
Perspective view of Hurricane Hugo on 21 September 1989 at 14:44 EDT by GOES-7 (Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites), as the hurricane approaches Charleston, South Carolina. Image produced by F. Hasler, K. Palaniappan, M. Manyin, and H. Pierce (NASA/Goddard).
Photo of Walter J. Fraser Jr. by Bob Neumann.
Residents viewing the wreckage along Council Street in Charleston, 1893. Harper's Weekly, September 16, 1893, courtesy of Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, University of Georgia Libraries.
