Storms of the Past, Stories for the Future
2020
An ongoing project of the Laboratory of Southeastern Archaeology, Storms of the Past, Stories for the Future investigates the relationship between memories of past storms and perceptions of storms yet to come. Although the ultimate objective of this project is to provide policy-relevant information for planning purposes, its method is not to forecast the future but rather to document the “futures past” of historic storms. How do memories of past storms inflect the histories of post-storm recovery and rebuilding? The project started with the 1896 hurricane that impacted the cedar mill industry of Atsena Otie on Florida's northern Gulf Coast and continues with a Gulf-wide survey of other victims of devastating storms.