‘Killer Hurricanes’ reconstructs the past to predict storms of the future

Historical, geologic records offer clues to tropical cyclones

Jeff Donnelly

STORM IN THE SAND  A core of seafloor sediment collected off the coast of Jamaica by geologist Jeff Donnelly holds clues to prehistoric hurricanes.

Blink Films

In 1780, a powerful hurricane swept across the islands of the Caribbean, killing an estimated 22,000 people; 5,000 more died of starvation and disease in the aftermath.