MIDDLEBURY — The Vermont Folklife Center in Middlebury will host Vermont author Stephen Long for a presentation on his new book, “Thirty-Eight: The Hurricane That Transformed New England,” on Thursday, April 28, at 5 p.m.
The 1938 hurricane was New England’s most damaging weather event ever. To call it “New England’s Katrina” might be to understate its power. Without warning, the storm plowed into Long Island and New England, killing hundreds of people and destroying roads, bridges, dams and buildings that stood in its path. Not yet spent, the hurricane then raced inland, maintaining high winds into Vermont and New Hampshire and uprooting millions of acres of forest.
In Vermont, flooding from “Thirty-Eight” was comparable to that of Tropical Storm Irene in 2011, but it also tore up the landscape with winds exceeding 100 mph, the only time in recorded history that a Category 2 hurricane has reached Vermont. With archival photos, extensive research and firsthand accounts by survivors, the author makes the storm and its aftermath come alive.
Long’s book is a groundbreaking account of the cataclysmic hurricane and its long-reaching impact on New England’s forests. His talk is presented in conjunction with the exhibition “Shedding Light on the Working Forest,” which will be on display at the Vermont Folklife Center through April 30.
Stephen Long is co-founder and former editor of Northern Woodlands magazine. He lives in Corinth with his wife, novelist Mary Hays.