The Books Briefing: What the Storms Left Behind

Late summer often proves turbulent on the Caribbean islands and along the Gulf Coast. Locals exist under the daunting threat of severe storms—such as this week’s Hurricane Dorian—that have the power to destroy lives and infrastructure.

Some have tried to prevent massive damage through scientific means, such as the cloud-seeding process—an attempt to affect rainfall—that Sam Kean describes in his book . Historical factors also exacerbate storms’ death tolls and destruction: The grapples with the preexisting social and economic structures that leave certain groups of people particularly vulnerable to storms.