Rain Tonight: A Story of Hurricane Hazel

Steve Pitt

Jan 2010 · Kuthengiswe ngu-Tundra Books

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The weather forecast for the evening of October 15, 1954 was simply “rain tonight.” In fact, the hurricane was a devastating one. The storm swept from North Carolina up into Canada. In Toronto, Ontario, the official death count was 81, but it was probably much higher because the many people living in the ravines were not part of the census.

Penny Doucette was 8 years old on the night the storm raged in Toronto. She, her parents, and their elderly neighbor found themselves clinging to the roof of the house as they watched the house next door float away on the swollen Humber River. Augmenting the dramatic story are illustrations, archival photographs, and fascinating information about hurricanes: their causes, their history, and lore.

Published for the fiftieth anniversary of Hurricane Hazel, this is a valuable resource for young readers.

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Steve Pitt was born in Weston, Ontario on October 15th, 1954 – the night Hurricane Hazel devastated Southern Ontario. He has been fascinated by the storm ever since. He has been a writer for twenty-five years, during which time he has also worked as a youth outreach worker, a goose rancher, a gold prospector in the Yukon, an armored truck guard, and resort cook. He holds a Master of Divinity degree, two black belts in tae kwon do, and is currently studying to be a chef. His articles have appeared in Canadian Family, Healthwatch, Rotunda, Legion Magazine, The Globe and Mail, and Stitches Magazine. This is Steve Pitt’s first book.