Great Storms of the Jersey Shore

Rating:
Summary: Whether you're a storm nut or a historian, this is the book!
Review: "Great Storms of the Jersey Shore" helps fill a historical void that is just being filled nowadays by others such as Jay Barnes and those of us placing similar regional storm histories on the web. It goes into detail on how large storms such as hurricanes and nor'easters can wreak havoc on coastal communities in New Jersey. It is chock-full-o'damage pictures; the use of corresponding art/drawings depicting a few of the disasters is a unique touch. It does lack corresponding satellite and radar pictures (Bob, S FL's 1948 hurricane, and the Halloween Storm exceptions to the rule); this is the book's only real flaw. The work even gives an example of how a hypothetical storm would impact the area; a nice touch. Historians and weather nuts alike will be in awe and admiration of the effort put forth researchwise to create this work. As they used to say, it would be a "bargain at twice the price".

Rating:
Summary: A Touchstone Reference for Stormy New Jersey
Review: If you live in New Jersey--as I do. If you have relatives who live near the Jersey Shore--as I do. If you love meteorology and disaster stories--as I do. Then you will be fascinated by this book. It starts in colonial times and works it's way to the present and even predicts the future. What more could you want?

Well maybe a few more widely differentiated anecdotes--many end up sounding the same.

Maybe, a few more pithy quotes from contemporary newspapers and other media.

Maybe a better explanation of extra-tropical cyclones and how they form. These are the great scourge of the Northeastern coast and make up a majority of this history. You just don't hear as much about Nor'easters because they don't have names.

Maybe a bit more on how the Jersey shore prepares and deals with these monsters of the deep. A frank and wide-ranging discussion on whether our shore-management policies and techniques are futile would not be very popular, but very useful.

The best features of this book intertwine. It's long range history treats the great hurricane of 1821 (the last hurricane whose eye contacted and tracked on shore)which of course is outside of the memory of living society. The book closes with an account of an imaginary hurricane doing much the same in the near future. We need to remember our past to be prepared for the future. What happened once can very well happen again. The 1821 hurricane roughly followed the current route of the Garden State Parkway. I rarely travel that toll road without remembering that we may have a very big payment to make someday.

Rating:
Summary: A wonderful history book with a serious warning.
Review: In March of 1962, my father drove us down to Atlantic City to visit my grandmother and see the damage. It made an indelible impression on me. I cannot drive the Jersey coast without wondering how much of the ugly, new beachfront development will survive a great Jersey storm. & I secretly hope not much of it will.

The most hair-raising tales in this book are from that 1962 whopper. But these great storms have hit Jersey shores throughout the ages with regularity, with & without warning, everywhere on the coast, changing the coastline & serving important environmental purposes. Even Keansburg, a bayshore town, has been knocked flat.

So enjoy the stories & eye-popping photographs. But don't overlook the other message the authors are conveying: We won't beat the sea in the end.

Bob Rixon, WFMU-FM, Jersey City, author of "Boardwalk" (Vendetta Books, 1997)