Violent Weather

"Record heat. Record storms. Record drought, snow, rain, and ocean levels. What's going on? In a world of crazy weather exacerbated by climate change, knowing about tornadoes, hurricanes, droughts, derachos, blizzards, and storms is more important than ever. This book, based on cutting-edge science and first-hand accounts, helps kids learn about what's going on and what to do about it"--Publisher.

One of the earliest sources of humanity's religious impulse was severe weather, which ancient peoples attributed to the wrath of storm gods. Enlightenment thinkers derided such beliefs as superstition and predicted they would pass away as humans became more scientifically and theologically sophisticated. But in America, scientific and theological hubris came face-to-face with the tornado, nature's most violent windstorm. Striking the United States more than any other nation, tornadoes have consistently defied scientists' efforts to unlock their secrets. Meteorologists now acknowledge that even the most powerful computers will likely never be able to predict a tornado's precise path. Similarly, tornadoes have repeatedly brought Americans to the outer limits of theology, drawing them into the vortex of such mysteries as how to reconcile suffering with a loving God and whether there is underlying purpose or randomness in the universe. In this groundbreaking history, Peter Thuesen captures the harrowing drama of tornadoes, as clergy, theologians, meteorologists, and ordinary citizens struggle to make sense of these death-dealing tempests. He argues that, in the tornado, Americans experience something that is at once culturally peculiar (the indigenous storm of the national imagination) and religiously primal (the sense of awe before an unpredictable and mysterious power). He also shows that, in an era of climate change, the weather raises the issue of society's complicity in natural disasters. In the whirlwind, Americans confront the question of their own destiny-how much is self-determined and how much is beyond human understanding or control.

This preparedness guide explains thunderstorms and related hazards and suggests life-saving actions you can take. With this information, you can recognize severe weather, develop a plan, and be ready to act when threatening weather approaches. Tornadoes cause an average of 70 fatalities and 1,500 injuries each year. Lightning, which occurs with all thunderstorms, causes an average of 80 fatalities and 300 injuries each year. Strong winds can cause damage equal to a tornado and can be extremely dangerous to aviation. Flash flooding is the #1 cause of deaths associated with thunderstorms -- more than 140 fatalities each years. Hail causes more than $1 billion in crop and property damage each year. Color illustrations.

For the past 30 years, Warren Faidley has forecast, intercepted, and photographed some of the planet’s most extreme weather and natural disasters. As a photojournalist, natural disaster survival expert, and adventurer, his expeditions have covered countless miles. Along the way, he has witnessed both the dark side and breathtaking beauty of Mother Nature’s mysterious ways. He has journeyed into the heart of darkness as hurricanes Andrew and Katrina brought rage and ruin to thousands. Tornadoes, firestorms, earthquakes, and lightning bolts are forever recorded by his cameras, but his memories are filled with the human elements of hope and survival. In this book, you’ll discover over 150 photographs that chronicle Faidley’s quest to find the perfect image in the midst of total chaos and will read about his adventures in the midst of the roar of an EF5 tornado, grapefruit-size hailstones, severe thunder and lightning storms, forest fires, and more.

Using powerful photography, specially commissioned artworks, and intuitive infographics, Violent Earth explores phenomenon of natural disasters in unprecedented detail. Individual sites from Stromboli to Mount St Helens and the mid-Atlantic Ridge to the Hawaiian hotspots are profiled, with clear, illustrated explanations of how they came into being. This eBook also looks at some of the most famous events associated with these places - from the historic eruptions of Laki, Iceland, which is credited with triggering the French Revolution, to the devastating earthquake in Haiti that killed over 250,000 people in 2010. Violent Earth also explores our restless oceans, and details the submarine rifts, vents, and volcanoes A spectacular reference book for all the family, Violent Earth is an authoritative, stimulating and visually arresting exploration of the dramatic forces that are constantly shaping our planet - often without warning and with devastating results.