Synopses & Reviews
Katrina's arrival on the Gulf Coast was a long time in coming. But it was assured. Since 1965, when Hurricane Betsy struck New Orleans, breached a levee, and flooded part of the city, everyone was waiting and talking about when the Big One would strike and do even more damage. Katrina was that hurricane, predictedand imagined before she struck, but so much worse in her reality.
Holding Back the Sea is about the consequences of ignoring the warning signs that nature provides and the struggle to convince the rest of the country that South Louisiana lay in the path of destruction. The signs were not subtle; there were Hurricanes Andrew in 1992, George and Mitch in 1998, and Ivan in 2004, among others. At one time or another in their journeys north, they all threatened New Orleans. Some had headed right for the city before veering to the east and west, sparing the Big Easy and reinforcing the nickname. But the Big Easy ended -- at least in reputation -- on August 29, 2005, when the Big One came ashore as Katrina.
Synopsis
In 1965, Hurricane Betsy struck New Orleans, breached a levee, and flooded part of the city. Still, residents knew that things could have been much worse -- "The Big One," a direct hit, could cause massive destruction. For the next forty years, locals, fishermen and scientists wondered when "The Big One" would come and if New Orleans would survive.
The answer came on August 29, 2005, when Hurricane Katrina devastated the city. In Holding Back the Sea, Christopher Hallowell investigates the long struggle to convince the rest of the country that South Louisiana lay in the path of destruction. There were warning signs; storms in 1992, 1998 and 2004 just missed New Orleans. But government inaction, disappearing wetlands, oil and gas extraction and a sinking land mass all contributed to the disaster. Holding Back the Sea is a cautionary tale about the dangers of ignoring the inevitable.
Christopher Hallowell is a professor of English and Journalism at Baruch College in New York City. He is the author of several books including Listening to Earth and People of the Bayou. He is also co-author and co-editor of Green Perspectives: Thinking and Writing About Nature and the Environment. His articles have appeared in TIME, the New York Times Magazine, The Christian Science Monitor, Audubon, Geo, Natural History, and The American Scholar. Hallowell is a graduate of Harvard and received an M.S. in journalism from Columbia. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.
" Holding Back the Sea] is exceptionally well-written, pages of poetic descriptions of bayou scenery, small towns and Louisiana people make it worth the effort to read." -- Baton Rouge Advocate
Synopsis
Katrina's arrival on the Gulf Coast was a long time in coming. But it was assured. Since 1965, when Hurricane Betsy struck New Orleans, breached a levee, and flooded part of the city, everyone was waiting and talking about when the Big One would strike and do even more damage. Katrina was that hurricane, predictedand imagined before she struck, but so much worse in her reality.
Holding Back the Sea is about the consequences of ignoring the warning signs that nature provides and the struggle to convince the rest of the country that South Louisiana lay in the path of destruction. The signs were not subtle; there were Hurricanes Andrew in 1992, George and Mitch in 1998, and Ivan in 2004, among others. At one time or another in their journeys north, they all threatened New Orleans. Some had headed right for the city before veering to the east and west, sparing the Big Easy and reinforcing the nickname. But the Big Easy ended -- at least in reputation -- on August 29, 2005, when the Big One came ashore as Katrina.
About the Author
Christopher Hallowell is a professor of English and journalism at Baruch College, City University of New York. He is the author of People of the Bayou, and coauthor and editor of Listening to Earth and Green Perspectives, and he lives in Brooklyn, New York.