June First is the first day of the U.S. Hurricane Season

In the United States, June first is the official beginning of the hurricane season. For most people around the world this does not mean anything, but for many men, women, and children, hurricane season is a time of uncertainty. 

I never dreamed that I would ever experience a hurricane, but in 2003 I was in my home in Virginia when hurricane Isabel blew through, and it was a humbling and terrifying experience. At that time my husband was travelling and I was alone on our farm - in the middle of nowhere - with my three year old daughter. The storm hit in the early evening and we lost power soon after. Elise and I camped out in my bedroom with books, candles to read by, and all the animals. I was very worried about our biggest dog, Skye, because she usually became a nervous wreck during storms. However on this occasion she stood by the bed and guarded us - all night long. I remember listening as the eye of the hurricane passed over us and all was quiet for a time. Then the storm resumed and shrieking winds shook the house once more.

In the morning I could not open the front door at first. There were so many branches and other debris piled up against the door that it was hard to get the door to move. Eventually we were able to get out onto the front porch and we saw drifts of leaves and twigs all over the place. Luckily the tree branches that did snap did not fall on the house. We were very lucky to come through it with almost no damage at all. Many other home owners were not so lucky. 

The biggest problem we had was not having power. This not only meant no electricity, but it also meant that we had no water because the well pump ran on electricity. So, several times a day I had to lift the cement lid off the well head and use a bucket on a rope to get water for us to wash in.  We were lucky because it only took three days to get our power back. Some families in nearby Richmond had to wait for weeks. 

I had a terrible time finding food for us to eat because most shops were closed and because so many roads were impassable, like the one in the picture above. Everything that we had in the fridge was spoiled and had to be thrown away. Elise and I ate a lot of bread with peanut butter! When the power came back on I danced around the house with joy and relief. 

I now have a better appreciation for what it is like to live in an area prone to hurricanes. You can see the books I have reviewed about these frightening weather systems on the TTLG Hurricanes Feature Page. 

Hurricanes stories

For the last few weeks hurricanes of various intensities have been hammering the Caribbean and Gulf states of the United States. Now these states are yet again having to prepare for the worst as hurricane Ike heads their way. The hurricane has already done a great deal of damage and everyone is hoping that it will not get any stronger than it is at the moment.

late summer and eary fall is often a bad time for hurricanes. In 1900 Galveston, Texas, was practically flattened by a powerful hurricane on September 8th. Very few buildings were left untouched and between 6,000 and 12,000 people died. You can find out more about this tragic event on Wikipedia.


Several excellent children's books have been written about this event and I have been lucky enough to be able to review two of them. Both are featured on the Through the Looking Glass Book Review website on the 1900 Galveston hurricane page. One of these titles in particular greatly moved me. In Dark Water Rising by Marian Hale we get to meet Seth, a teenage boy who has only recently moved to Galveston. Seth is just beginning to get used to his changed circumstances when the hurricane hits and everything is turned upside down. In just a few days Seth's life is changed forever.


What is interesting about this book is that though it is written about a particular historic disaster, Seth's experiences and the emotional upheavals he goes through are relevant for any tragic event. People around the world who have experienced or heard about a natural disaster will immediately see that Seth's words are universal.

Marian Hale has also written another superb book called The truth about sparrows, which explores the experiences that a young girl has while living in the south during the Great Depression.