In September of 1938, people in New England found themselves, virtually without warning, in the midst of the most devastating storm ever recorded in North America. The Hurricane of '38: American Experience, airs 17 May 2010 from 9 to 10 p.m. on PBS. (Leslie Jones / AP/Boston Public Library A damaged ferry boat sits in shallow water in Providence, R.I., following the deadly hurricane of 1938 that hit the Northeas)