About this item
A gripping narrative history of the 1889 Johnstown Flood - the deadliest flood in US history - from New York Times bestselling author, NBC Host, and legendary weather authority Al Roker.May 1889: After a deluge of rainfall - nearly a foot in less than twenty-four hours - swelled the Little Conemaugh River, panicked engineers watched helplessly as swiftly rising waters threatened to breach the South Fork Dam in central Pennsylvania. Though they telegraphed neighboring towns on this last morning in May, warning of the impending danger, residents, used to false alarms, remained in their homes.At 3:10 P.M., the dam gave way, releasing twenty million tons of water. Gathering speed as it flowed southwest, the deluge wiped out entire towns in its path and picked up debris - trees, houses, animals - before reaching Johnstown, fourteen miles downstream. Traveling forty miles an hour, with swells as high as sixty feet, the deadly floodwaters razed the mill town - home to 20,000 people - in minutes. The Great Flood, as it would come to be called, remains the deadliest in US history, killing more than 2,200 people and causing seventeen million dollars in damage.Al Roker tells the riveting story of this tragedy, which remains one of the worst weather-related disasters in American history. Ruthless Tide follows a compelling cast of characters whose fates converged because of that tragic day, including John Parke, the engineer whose heroic efforts failed to save the dam; Henry Clay Frick, the robber baron whose fancy sport fishing resort was responsible for modifications that weakened the structure; and Clara Barton, the founder of the American Red Cross, who spent five months in Johnstown leading one of the first organized disaster relief efforts. Weaving together their stories and those of many ordinary citizens whose lives were forever altered by the event, Roker creates a classic account of our natural world at its most terrifying.
About the Author
In addition to being known to over thirty million viewers for his work on NBC's Today show, a role that has earned him 13 Emmy awards, Al Roker is a bestselling author with many acclaimed books to his credit. His first book, "Don't Make Me Stop This Car: Adventures in Fatherhood" spent weeks atop the New York Times best-seller list. In May 2002, "Al Roker's Big Bad Book of Barbecue" was published and, quickly became a summer blockbuster hit. His second cookbook, "Al Roker's Hassle Free Holiday Cookbook", became a huge success as it prepared America's budding chefs for the holidays. "Big Shoes: In Celebration of Dads and Fatherhood" honors fathers and their contributions to lives of their children. Working in fiction, Roker's trilogy of murder mysteries are exciting crime novels that revolve around a fictional TV program much like TODAY. This trilogy includes "The Morning Show Murders" (recently made into a TV movie for Hallmark Movies & Mysteries starring Holly Robinson Peete and Rick Fox) , "The Talk Show Murders," and "The Midnight Show Murders."Al's 2013 book, "Never Goin' Back-Winning The Weight Loss Battle For Good" was a NY Times Bestseller and told Al's personal struggles with his own weight, bariatric surgery, and diet/nutrition. It even included healthy eating recipes! In 2015, Al published "The Storm Of The Century: Tragedy, Heroism, Survival, and the Epic True Story of America's Deadliest Natural Disaster: The Great Gulf Hurricane of 1900." In less than twenty-four hours, one storm destroyed a major American metropolis - and awakened a nation to the terrifying power of nature. Al's use of first person narrative received rave reviews. Al collaborated with his wife, ABC News correspondent, Deborah Roberts, on "Been There Done That - Family Wisdom For Modern Times." BTDT has been described as a funny, heartfelt, and empowering collection of life lessons, hard-won wisdom, and instructive family anecdotes from Al and Deborah's lives, from their parents and grandparents, and from dear friends, famous and not.Al also recently wrote his first children's book, "Al Roker's Extreme Weather: Tornadoes, Typhoons, and Other Weather Phenomena" in 2017. With this mesmerizing book that covers a wide range of topics, readers will learn about the conditions that generate unique weather occurrences like red sprites, thundersnow, and fogsicles. Al's latest book book "Ruthless Tide - The Heroes And Villains Of The Johnstown Flood" was released in May 2018. In Ruthless Tide, Al Roker follows an unforgettable cast of characters whose fates converged because of that tragic day, including John Parke, the engineer whose heroic efforts failed to save the dam; the robber barons whose fancy sport fishing resort was responsible for modifications that weakened the dam; and Clara Barto
