The Raging Sea: The Powerful Account of the Worst Tsunami in U.S. History
Dennis M. Powers
Citadel Press, 2005
In 1964 the town of Crescent City on the northern California coast was hit by a major tsunami created by an earthquake in Alaska. Scores of homes and businesses in the downtown area were destroyed, and 11 people died. Four children died on the Oregon coast at Beverly Beach State Park, as a result of the same tsunami. Dennis M. Powers’ recent book, The Raging Sea: The Powerful Account of the Worst Tsunami in U.S. History, is a remarkable full-length, in-depth account of this disaster and its effects on the town and the lives of its residents.
Powers spent 15 years researching and writing The Raging Sea. The result is a book with substantial and clear information on the dynamics of tsunamis and the technology of tsunami warning systems. But the gripping and tragic personal stories of this particular disaster are the real focus of the book.
Powers follows dozens of people who were in Crescent City on the night the tsunami struck: those who escaped to higher ground immediately, who were caught by surprise and narrowly escaped the raging waters, and who fought for their lives but ultimately perished.
The most compelling parts of the book revolve around Gary Clawson, his family and friends, and their struggle to survive. Powers makes time stand still as they battle the elements. The suspense kept me turning page after page way into the night to find out who would live and who would die. The attention to detail made me feel as if I knew these people, and I were with them in the midst of the tsunami, surrounded by the damage, death, and destruction.
Powers goes on to describe the aftermath: the shattered lives, the devastation, the reconstruction of the town. He ends by discussing what the future may hold for those living in tsunami-prone areas. As haunting as the story he has just finished telling are the last lines of the book: “A ‘big one’ will happen again, and it unfortunately will be worse than Crescent City’s experience then. The only question is when – and who will suffer this time.”
Comments