Readers will encounter many facts about hurricanes through accessible, and age-appropriate content. They will also learn about some of the most destructive hurricanes in history, such as Hurricane Andrew, Hurricane Ike, and the Galveston Hurricane of 1900. Hurricane Katrina has both a chapter and a two-page spread with statistics devoted to it.
Readers explore the ways that out-of-control water can devastate an area. They will read explanations of how tsunamis form and the range of things that can cause flooding, including heavy rains, hurricanes, and dam collapses.
After an interview with ninety-five-year-old Doc Keeton, Warren and Betsy use the "Instant Commuter" to travel back to experience the Johnstown flood of 1889.
Provides information about floods, explaining how and why they happen, discussing flood prevention, and looking at the aftermath of floods. Includes a related activity that demonstrates how different soils absorb water differently.
When a cheaply constructed dam above Johnstown, Pennsylvania bursts under the onslaught of torrential rains, Christina and her family struggle to escape the floodwater which bears down upon their town.
Provides, through the story of one family, a brief description of the hurricane that devastated Galveston, Texas, in 1900, with a loss of over eight thousand lives, and its aftermath.
