# Pre-Industrial Societies and Hurricanes?

**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-industrial-societies-and-hurricanes/404953
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [May 21, 2007, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-industrial-societies-and-hurricanes/404953 "2007-05-21T18:17:07Z")
**Posts on this page:** 5
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![Phil\_Latio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f1d935/32.png) [@Phil\_Latio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phil_Latio)
#### Post date: [May 21, 2007, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-industrial-societies-and-hurricanes/404953/1 "2007-05-21T18:17:07Z")

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I’m wondering how “indigenous” societies (like american indians along the gulf and east coast of the US) dealt with really bad hurricanes. Did they see the warning signs and “head for the tall grass?” Did these storms prevent them from having permanent buildings?

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### Author: ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)
#### Post date: [May 21, 2007, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-industrial-societies-and-hurricanes/404953/2 "2007-05-21T22:41:42Z")

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Well, a lot of the time, they _died_.

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### Author: ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)
#### Post date: [May 21, 2007, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-industrial-societies-and-hurricanes/404953/3 "2007-05-21T23:39:50Z")

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most tribes would have certain things they would look for and bug out. cloud formations, ocean waves, bird and animal actions, etc.

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### Author: ![Thrash\_the\_Almighty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/90ced4/32.png) [@Thrash\_the\_Almighty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thrash_the_Almighty)
#### Post date: [May 21, 2007, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-industrial-societies-and-hurricanes/404953/4 "2007-05-21T23:53:30Z")

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Granted it was a Tsunami not a hurricane, but here’s an interesting story about how an “ancient tribe” survived a natural disaster. Basicly they saw signs it was coming and evacuated.

[URL=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/01/04/world/main664729.shtml]

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### Author: ![sweeteviljesus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/898d66/32.png) [@sweeteviljesus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweeteviljesus)
#### Post date: [May 22, 2007, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-industrial-societies-and-hurricanes/404953/5 "2007-05-22T01:00:42Z")

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Also note that hurricanes are seasonal. Ancient peoples would have noticed this and may have planned migrations around it.

fwiw,  
Rob