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| Interview With The Author |
The following are questions frequently asked Rick Schwartz, author of Hurricanes and the
Middle Atlantic States:
Q. Why did you write the book?
I have lived in the Mid-Atlantic region all my life. I became interested in hurricanes when I was a teenager.
From that time until my book came out, there was no resource that provided a regional hurricane history.
In fact, it seemed like a lost history.
I researched the book for six years. I discovered an extensive, fascinating and compelling history.
Residents need to be aware of it, as the kind of hurricanes that have visited in the past will return. To a
large extent, hurricane history follows repetitive patterns.
My research included records dating back to the 1600s. Voices from the past seemed to whisper, "Don't
let our observations be lost. Future generations need to know what we've seen and experienced." There
are many accounts of terrible events endured with bravery and hardship surmounted with spirit and
fortitude.
I consider it crucial to learn from the past to better prepare for the future. The kinds of things hurricanes
have done in the past will be the kinds of things they do in the future. My book offers vital information.
Q. What are your credentials?
I have tracked Atlantic hurricanes during the past 40 years. I spent six years intensively researching and
writing the book. This included more than 10,000 miles of driving, about 100 interviews and viewing
countless rolls of microfilm. I am an associate member of the American Meteorological Society and a
member of the National Weather Association.
Q. How will readers benefit?
The book offers an incisive, better understanding of the types and characteristics of the region's
hurricanes, as well as the risks faced by the Middle Atlantic states. It provides a basis for comparison, a
basis for preparation and a way to put future storms in context. At the same time it is an interesting read,
an extensive collection of short storm stories found nowhere else.
Q. What states are featured?
The book focuses on Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia. However, neighboring
states are not neglected and the human interest stories and lessons from past storms are of universal
interest.
Q. What are the region's greatest hurricane threats?
It is due for a destructive coastal storm. The last significant region-wide coastal tropical cyclone was
Hurricane Gloria in 1985. The current active hurricane cycle began in 1995, yet the region has not had a
major coastal event. Previous active cycles, typically lasting 25-30 years, featured at least a half-dozen.
The Mid-Atlantic is also due for a severe, extensive, inland windstorm. The last was Hurricane Hazel in
1954. It brought hurricane-force gusts to nearly the entire eastern third of the region. Inland hurricanes
occur, on average, about every 50 years. Never before have so many people and so much property been
at risk.
Q. What is your perspective on the 2008 hurricane seasons?
2007 was the third consecutive year without significant region-wide hurricane activity. Hurricane history
indicates that such lulls are normal in an overall active hurricane cycle, such as the one we are in.
However, it also suggests that a respite beyond three years is rare. When major storms return, they often
affect the region for two or three consecutive years. There seems to be a price for the respites. There is
clearly a greater than 50 percent chance of something significant in 2008. Both the coast and interior
sections are at risk.
Middle Atlantic States:
Q. Why did you write the book?
I have lived in the Mid-Atlantic region all my life. I became interested in hurricanes when I was a teenager.
From that time until my book came out, there was no resource that provided a regional hurricane history.
In fact, it seemed like a lost history.
I researched the book for six years. I discovered an extensive, fascinating and compelling history.
Residents need to be aware of it, as the kind of hurricanes that have visited in the past will return. To a
large extent, hurricane history follows repetitive patterns.
My research included records dating back to the 1600s. Voices from the past seemed to whisper, "Don't
let our observations be lost. Future generations need to know what we've seen and experienced." There
are many accounts of terrible events endured with bravery and hardship surmounted with spirit and
fortitude.
I consider it crucial to learn from the past to better prepare for the future. The kinds of things hurricanes
have done in the past will be the kinds of things they do in the future. My book offers vital information.
Q. What are your credentials?
I have tracked Atlantic hurricanes during the past 40 years. I spent six years intensively researching and
writing the book. This included more than 10,000 miles of driving, about 100 interviews and viewing
countless rolls of microfilm. I am an associate member of the American Meteorological Society and a
member of the National Weather Association.
Q. How will readers benefit?
The book offers an incisive, better understanding of the types and characteristics of the region's
hurricanes, as well as the risks faced by the Middle Atlantic states. It provides a basis for comparison, a
basis for preparation and a way to put future storms in context. At the same time it is an interesting read,
an extensive collection of short storm stories found nowhere else.
Q. What states are featured?
The book focuses on Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia. However, neighboring
states are not neglected and the human interest stories and lessons from past storms are of universal
interest.
Q. What are the region's greatest hurricane threats?
It is due for a destructive coastal storm. The last significant region-wide coastal tropical cyclone was
Hurricane Gloria in 1985. The current active hurricane cycle began in 1995, yet the region has not had a
major coastal event. Previous active cycles, typically lasting 25-30 years, featured at least a half-dozen.
The Mid-Atlantic is also due for a severe, extensive, inland windstorm. The last was Hurricane Hazel in
1954. It brought hurricane-force gusts to nearly the entire eastern third of the region. Inland hurricanes
occur, on average, about every 50 years. Never before have so many people and so much property been
at risk.
Q. What is your perspective on the 2008 hurricane seasons?
2007 was the third consecutive year without significant region-wide hurricane activity. Hurricane history
indicates that such lulls are normal in an overall active hurricane cycle, such as the one we are in.
However, it also suggests that a respite beyond three years is rare. When major storms return, they often
affect the region for two or three consecutive years. There seems to be a price for the respites. There is
clearly a greater than 50 percent chance of something significant in 2008. Both the coast and interior
sections are at risk.
| Summer 2008 |
| The author has a Web site, www.midatlantichurricanes.com. He can be contacted by e-mail at: ricschwartz@msn.com |
John Montone of 1010 WINS in New York recently interviewed Rick Schwartz on Long Beach Island, New
Jersey. Schwartz emphasized that hurricane history suggests that significant hurricanes will soon return to
the Middle Atlantic region and that residents of the coast should be prepared.
Jersey. Schwartz emphasized that hurricane history suggests that significant hurricanes will soon return to
the Middle Atlantic region and that residents of the coast should be prepared.