The Storm: What Went Wrong and Why During Hurricane Katrina--the Inside Story from One Louisiana Scientist

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 336 pages
• Published by: Penguin Non-Classics July 31, 2007
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0143112139
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0143112136
• Book Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Weighs: 10.4 ounces

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. This serious, scientific explanation of what exactly happened in the hours-and years-leading up to Hurricane Katrina's devestation of New Orleans brings a fresh perspective to a tragedy that has generated remarkably similar news accounts over the past eight months. Van Heerden, Deputy Director of the Louisiana State University Hurricane Center, gives a passionate, rigorous account of what went wrong in New Orleans that, if admittedly non-objective, is a noble and credible call for truth and accountability Long recognized by FEMA as one of the three most likely and dangerous disasters threatening the country, the possibility of a hurricane like Katrina was ignored by corrupt politicians and discounted by residents tired of past evacuations (George, Floyd, Ivan, and Rita) that in hindsight seemed unnecessary. Technical details threaten at times to overwhelm readers interested in the human story of the storm, but van Heerden manages to navigate the narrow path that fuses scientific data with a gripping narrative worthy of a Tom Clancy thriller. Informative and emotional, Van Heerden's book sheds new light on one of the most destructive-and important-natural disasters to hit the U.S. in modern history, and is a must-read for anyone truly interested in the facts behind Hurricane Katrina.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Review
Disturbing -- New York Times

He’s truly one of the heroes of Hurricane Katrina. -- Anderson Cooper, CNN

Persuasive -- Chicago Tribune

[An] important book. . . . [Van Heerden is] a man with a story to get out who is gradually finding a way to do it. . . . And he does it simply, commonsensically, with illustrations to clarify his points. -- New Orleans Times-Picayune

Reader Reviews
This review is from: The Storm: What Went Wrong and Why During Hurricane Katrina--the Inside Story from One Louisiana Scientist (Hardcover) The author of this book knows his stuff. He is a scientist and co-founder and deputy director of the Louisiana State University Hurricane Center. He writes about what went wrong and how these same mistakes can be avoided in the future. It's scary because a premise of the book is the probability that this kind of hurricane WILL happen again. This is a realistic look. While the storm was inevitable, he thinks that obviously if people could have gotten out, so many lives would have been saved, but the problem itself wasn't the actually storm so much as it was the failure of the levys to stay put. In his opinion, what went wrong is mainly that all levels of government didn't believe that this was could happen, so they didn't prepare. They thought this couldn't happen in their lifetime and didn't do the right things. The people in leadership positions should have disaster experience. They should have 'been through the fire' and that that experience is essential to plan. This is a hard going book, but it's so interesting and insightful and when you read all the details, then it gives you another point of view to think about. I really liked this and know that it's an impartial look at the actuall facts rather than placing totall blame. Let's hope the right people read this well writen book.