December 6, 1917: A seemingly typical morning in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Families were getting ready to go to work and school; businesses were opening. But just before 9:00 a.m. there was activity in Halifax's harbor that were anything but typical. A munitions ship was getting ready to leave the dock as another ship was coming in the opposite direction in the area known as The Narrows. And this area is called that for a reason. Very difficult to navigate, with only captains with many years of experience are allowed to handle. But somehow, this was overlooked. And just after 9:00 a.m., the unthinkable happened - the two ships collided. And what happened next was one of the worst disasters known to man.With a cargo full of TNT, the explosion that occurred was as strong as that of an atom bomb. It destroyed the town in an instant, as well as taking almost 2,000 lives. The devastation was extraordinary. And, as if this was not enough, a blizzard fell on the town the following day.
But Blizzard of Glass is much more than just a tale of destruction, it is a tale of hope. Through relief efforts from other provinces and the Untied States, the people of Halifax that survived this event were able to go on.
Reading more like a novel then non-fiction, readers can really feel what it might be like to be caught in such a horrific event.
Karen
