Hurricane Hazel

Hurricane Hazel

Category 4 hurricane (SSHS)
Track map of Hurricane Hazel
Formed	October 5, 1954
Dissipated	October 18, 1954
Highest winds	150 mph (240 km/h) (1-minute sustained)
Lowest pressure	≤ 937 mbar (hPa; 27.67 inHg)
Fatalities	600–1,200 direct
Damage	$408 million (1954 USD) $3.3 billion (2009 USD)
Areas affected	Grenada, Haiti, Bahamas, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, Ontario
Part of the 1954 Atlantic hurricane season

Hurricane Hazel was the deadliest and most costly hurricane of the 1954 Atlantic hurricane season and one of the deadliest and costliest storms of the 20th century. The hurricane killed as many as 1,000 people in Haiti before striking the United States, where it killed 95 people, near the border between North and South Carolina, as a Category 4 hurricane. Hazel then struck Canada as what today is referred to as a tropical storm, raising the death toll by 81 more people. Most of the deaths—concentrated around Toronto—were caused by the heavy rainfall from the now extratropical storm. As a result of its damaging effects and high death toll, its name was retired and will never again be used for a hurricane in the North Atlantic basin.

In Haiti, Hazel destroyed 40% of the coffee trees and 50% of the cacao ones, affecting the economy for several years to come. In the Carolinas, the majority of waterfront dwellings near the point the hurricane made landfall were destroyed; on its way towards Canada, several states, including Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia, reported wind gusts near 160 kilometres per hour (99 mph) leaving $308 million (1954 USD) in damages. Rivers and streams passing through the Greater Toronto Area overflowed their banks, causing severe flooding. As a result of it, many residential areas located in floodplains, such as along the Humber River between Dundas Street and Lake Ontario, were subsequently converted to parkland. In Canada alone, over C$135 million (2009: $1.1 billion) of damage was incurred.

Hazel was particularly destructive in Toronto because of a combination of a lack of experience of dealing with tropical storms, the storm's unexpectedly retaining considerable power after crossing 1,100 kilometres (680 mi) over land, its merger with an existing powerful cold front, and stalling over the Greater Toronto Area. To help with the cleanup, 800 members of the military were summoned and a Hurricane Relief Fund was established that distributed $5.1 million (2009: $41.7 million) in aid.

Meteorological history

Hurricane Hazel, shown making landfall in the Carolinas, quickly went north and stalled over Toronto as a result of merging with a slow cold front and an area of high pressure to the northeast that produced torrential rains on the city.

In early October 1954, a tropical wave moved off the coast of Africa and was spotted on October 5 roughly 80 kilometres (50 mi) east of the island of Grenada. Deemed sufficiently organized to be a tropical storm, Hazel moved west and intensified from October 6 to October 9 in the Caribbean Sea without directly striking any land.^[1] On October 10, Hazel slowed down and made an abrupt turn to the north towards Haiti; as a whole, the storm proved to be very unpredictable, defying meteorologists' predictions on multiple occasions, which made it even more dangerous. The storm crossed Haiti two days later as a Category 2 hurricane, killing over 1,000 people. The hurricane went through the Windward Passage between Cuba and the island of Hispaniola and then northwest towards the East Coast of the United States, passing the southeast part of the Bahamas along the way. By October 14, just before it reached the Carolinas, hurricane hunter planes found the hurricane's winds to have accelerated to 240 kilometres per hour (150 mph), making it a Category 4 storm, and it was moving at a high forward speed of 48 kilometres per hour (30 mph).^[1]

The storm made landfall near the North Carolina/South Carolina border by the morning of October 15, striking Myrtle Beach, South Carolina before moving north. The storm center became extratropical as it passed over Raleigh, North Carolina as a strong Category 3 hurricane early on October 15.^[2] Hazel accelerated to over 80 km/h (50 mph) upon making landfall,^[3] and was centred over New York state and Pennsylvania by 4:30 p.m. EDT.^[4] Against meteorologists' predictions, Hazel had not lost much intensity, with winds nearing 160 km/h (99 mph) in parts of Delaware, Maryland, New York, and Pennsylvania. Hurricanes are generally expected to lose power after going north of Florida, since the temperature of the water is lower.^[3] Before leaving the United States, the storm had claimed 95 lives, of which the majority were drowning casualties.^[1][3]

Moving very rapidly, Hazel consolidated with a cold front and moved straight towards Toronto. The storm drastically slowed down over Toronto, partially blocked by an area of high pressure to the northeast, and centred itself above downtown Toronto by midnight. The most rain fell around Brampton, as it was the place where the storm and the cold front merged. Hazel had still retained hurricane intensity, with gusts of over 150 km/h (93 mph), sustained winds as high as 124 km/h (77 mph), and rainfall in excess of 200 millimetres (7.9 in) reported almost 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) from the storm's point of landfall.^[1] No longer hurricane-strength, the storm then continued into northern Ontario and northern Quebec through James Bay, losing most of its remaining power over sparsely populated areas. By the time the storm exited Canada, 81 people had died in Ontario.^[5] Only on October 18 had Hazel fully dissipated.^[3]

Preparations

American planes observed the intensifying storm in the Atlantic Ocean, but expected it to lose power as it passed over cooler waters north of Florida.^[1] Hazel was originally forecast to hit Savannah, Georgia.^[6] At 11 a.m. EDT on October 14 the National Weather Bureau issued a warning for the Carolinas, with the caveat that the hurricane was expected to stay offshore and largely spare any land. Instead, the storm took a northwest turn and headed towards land.^[7] By evening of the same day, the storm was forecast to make landfall near the Carolinas border,^[7] and evacuation warnings were issued along the coast.^[8] Further forecasts expected Hazel to lose its power and dissipate over the Allegheny Mountains.^[1]

In Canada, meteorologists predicted that if Hazel merged with the cold front, severe weather would result. Two Special Weather Bulletins were issued by the Dominion Weather Office, which expected Toronto to be mostly spared. High winds between 65 km/h (40 mph) and 80 km/h (50 mph) with only occasional showers were forecast. Ships on Lakes Erie and Ontario received warnings about strong winds, although the predicted wind speeds ranged from 65 km/h (40 mph) to 120 km/h (75 mph).^[1]

During the previous two weeks, there had also been significant rainfall, so the ground was already quite saturated, but as the storm was expected to pass east of Toronto, few measures were taken, which increased the eventual property damage and loss of life.^[1] Very few warnings were given and there were no evacuations prior to the storm. Few people in Canada had any experience with hurricanes because hurricanes that far north and as far inland as Toronto were virtually unheard of.^[9] Toronto Hydro had called in standby crews as heavy winds were forecast, although they were almost sent home at one point due to a lull in the storm.^[4]

Impact

Caribbean

The island of Curaçao in the Netherlands Antilles, located north of Venezuela, received some rain and strong winds as a result of the intensifying storm passing to the north.^[7]

Hazel first brought casualties when it struck Haiti on October 12 as a Category 2 storm. The hurricane brought flash floods which destroyed numerous villages, and high winds which caused considerable damage to major cities. The death toll was estimated to be as high as 1,000 people. Hazel destroyed about 40% of the coffee trees and 50% of the cacao trees, affecting the country's economy for several years.^[10][11] Objects from Haiti, such as bowls, were reported to have been transported by the hurricane to the Carolinian coast.^[12]

Located directly east of Hispaniola, Puerto Rico suffered its worst flooding since 1899 as a result of the hurricane. As a result of timely warnings, only nine people were killed: eight by drowning and one by a landslide. However, many buildings, infrastructure and agricultural areas, suffered serious damage, and over 11,000 people were evacuated from flooded areas.^[13]

United States

Hazel Rainfall across the Northeast U.S. and Canada

After weakening while crossing Haiti, the hurricane passed through the Bahamas and regained strength over the Atlantic Ocean. Hazel made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane^[10] near Calabash, North Carolina close to the North Carolina/South Carolina state border, halfway between Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and Wilmington, North Carolina. At landfall, the hurricane brought a storm surge of over 5.5 metres (18 ft) to a large area of coastline, producing severe coastal damage. The highest storm surge was recorded at Calabash, coincidentally arriving at the highest lunar tide of the year.^[14]

Brunswick County in North Carolina suffered the heaviest damage, with most coastal dwellings being either completely destroyed or severely damaged. For example, in Long Beach, only five of the 357 buildings were left standing.^[12] About 80% of waterfront dwellings in Myrtle Beach were also destroyed.^[10] As a result of the high storm surge, the low-lying sandy barrier islands were completely flooded.^[15] The official report from the Weather Bureau in Raleigh, North Carolina stated that as a result of Hazel, "all traces of civilization on the immediate waterfront between the state line and Cape Fear were practically annihilated."^[16]

At the Raleigh-Durham Airport, sustained winds of 120 km/h (75 mph) with gusts of 140 km/h (87 mph) were recorded. With such high winds state-wide, heavy damage was caused to forests, and to property as a result of falling trees. However, since the Carolinas, like the rest of the Southeastern United States, were suffering from a severe drought, the heavy rainfall brought by Hazel was welcome. In North Carolina, the most rain was received in the interior of the state: Robbins received 286 millimetres (11.3 in) of rain while Carthage received 247 mm (9.7 in).^[16]

Nineteen people were killed in North Carolina, with several hundred more injured; 15,000 homes were destroyed and another 39,000 were damaged.^[14] Damages in the Carolinas amounted to $163 million, $25 million of which was in South Carolina. Elsewhere in the United States, damages were estimated at $145 million for a total of $308 million in losses from the hurricane.^[17][18]

After passing through the Carolinas, Hazel quickly rushed north, becoming extratropical as it merged with a cold front, although it did not lose its intensity. Before reaching Canada, the storm directly hit Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia; rain totals in some areas were as high as 300 mm (12 in). Outside directly affected areas, wind gusts near 160 km/h (99 mph) were reported in Virginia, Delaware, New Jersey, and upstate New York.^[10] Power was knocked out in many areas and numerous trees were downed; in Chesapeake Bay, the majority of crab pots were destroyed.^[19]

Canada

Personnel of the Canadian army clearing away debris in Toronto in a still-flooded area near Raymore Drive.

In the few weeks leading up to Hazel striking the Greater Toronto Area, the region had experienced unusually high rainfall. When the storm arrived, the water table was already saturated; as a result, most of the precipitation, with estimates going as high as 90%, simply ran off into rivers and creeks in Toronto, raising water levels by as much as six to eight metres, and anything built in the floodplain of a major waterway was either inundated or simply swept away. In a city not used to natural disasters, especially heavy rainfall, there had been no experience with heavy flooding, resulting in a lack of preparedness and greater loss of life. Although all of Southern Ontario received heavy rainfall as a result of Hazel, the Greater Toronto Area received the most. Snelgrove, Ontario, near Brampton, received the most rain—214 mm (8.4 in)—while both Snelgrove and Brampton reported 90 millimetres (3.5 in) between 9 p.m. and midnight EDT on October 15. Within the area, there was considerable disparity in the amount of rain received, with the west end receiving considerably more than the east end.^[1][9]

Personnel of the Canadian army clearing away debris in Toronto in a debris-strewn field near Raymore Drive.

With river and stream levels rising, Toronto's infrastructure took a heavy hit. Not built to withstand serious flooding, over 50 bridges, many part of important highways, were destroyed when the high water washed them out or carried debris and smashed them. Numerous roads and railways were also washed out. While mariners heeded warnings and avoided loss of life, the National Yacht Club incurred over C$100,000 (2009: over C$800,000) in damages as a result of high waves on Lake Ontario.^[20][21]

The Holland Marsh is located in a bowl-shaped valley directly south of Lake Simcoe, near Bradford. Unlike the flash floods in rivers and creeks to the south, the flooding of Holland Marsh was slow, allowing people to avoid drowning by escaping to Bradford, which is located on a hill. Property damage, however, was severe: Allan Andreson, a CBC reporter, said that the "marsh was just like one vast lake. All you could see in the distance sticking out of the water was the steeple of the Springdale Christian Reformed Church". Highway 400, which passes through the marsh, was under as much as 3 metres (9.8 ft) of water in some places when as much 6.1 metres (20 ft) of water backed up. The economic losses were also hard. While most of the year's crop had been harvested by mid-October, it had not been brought in, and it was either submerged or swept away by the flood.^[22]

Almost two fifths of Raymore Drive was destroyed in a flood; now the street curves and ends as a parking lot for visitors to Raymore Park which is located where the street previously went.

The Humber River, in the west end of the city, caused the most destruction as a result of an intense flash flood. With no flood control in place and most minor rivers and creeks draining into it, a flash flood ensued. The resulting current was so strong that the Toronto Star reported that the police were informed that no boat should be launched in the river: "nothing can make it and anyone in it will be killed for sure".^[23] That prediction came true when a team of five volunteer firefighters were killed when their fire truck was swept away as they were responding to help a stranded motorist.^[24] Communities along the Humber which were located in its floodplain were devastated: at Woodbridge, the river swelled from its usual width of 20 m (66 ft) to 107 m (350 ft) at its narrowest point, and left hundreds homeless and nine dead. Of the 81 Canadian fatalities, 35 lived on Raymore Drive. Located parallel to the river, 366 m (1,200 ft) of the road and 14 homes, many with their occupants inside, were swept away by the Humber. The rise of the river was unprecedented and the residents did not evacuate, which led to the high death toll. The damage was so severe that the area along Raymore Drive and the surrounding neighbourhood which had flooded was converted from a residential area into a park.^[23]

Further west, the Etobicoke Creek also overflowed its banks at the village of Long Branch, located near Lake Ontario, which caused heavy flooding. Seven people were killed, as many dwellings were swept into the lake.^[25] That area of the village was also converted into a park. On the east side of Toronto, areas near the Don River received some flooding, but it was not as severe due to the substantially smaller amount of rainfall.^[26]

No natural disaster since has led to such a high death toll in Canada—81 people. In addition, over 4,000 families were left homeless.^[5] The Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada estimates the total cost of Hurricane Hazel for Canada, taking into account long-term effects such as economic disruption, the cost of lost property, and recovery costs, as being C$137,552,400 (2009: $1,126,947,163).^[27]

Aftermath

United States

In the Carolinas, the National Guard was mobilised by the evening of October 15 to prevent looting along the impacted parts of the coastline. By October 24, all but two units were demobilised. Another concern was to rebuild the sand dunes along the waterfronts. An artificial sand dune barrier, 39 km (24 mi) long, was completed by October 30, which in the long run led to a more rapid natural build-up of larger dunes. With Myrtle Beach being a popular tourist destination, the Chamber of Commerce began an information campaign to inform the public, which might have erroneously concluded from the massive media coverage that the city had been destroyed, that the city would be ready for the coming summer. Rebuilding after the partial destruction brought by Hazel transformed Myrtle Beach from a "quaint summer colony to a high-rise resort city".^[28]

Canada

The Salvation Army's Hurricane Hazel Relief booth on Yonge Street, Toronto

Eight hundred troops were summoned to Toronto to assist with the cleanup. Local members of the navy assisted by providing boats as well as men; the army used tools such as bulldozers, crowbars, flamethrowers and pike poles to search for bodies.^[29]

The Hurricane Relief Fund was established to "receive contributions from all those citizens in this province and elsewhere who desire to assist those who have lost so much." It received donations from organisations, companies and individuals including Pope Pius XII, the Ford Motor Company, the United Church of Canada, Laura Secord Candy Shops, and the British American Oil Company. Approximately $5,100,000 (2009: $41,750,000) was distributed from a total fund of about $5,300,000 (2009: $43,000,000), with half the remainder set aside as a contingency reserve in the event of unresolved claims, and the other half going to administrative expenses.^[29]

A weir was built on the Humber River near Raymore Drive to lessen the risk of a similar catastrophic flood.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Hazel, the Toronto and Region Conservation was created though the merger of smaller, regional conservation authorities, with the mission to manage the area's floodplains and rivers. For instance, there had been previously rejected plans to build dams along the Humber River to control flooding; after the storm, some were built, but they would not prevent flooding in another weather event with Hazel's intensity and the same exacerbating circumstances.^[30] Flood control in Ontario and Canada as a whole became a more important issue.^[31]

Land in heavily flooded areas was expropriated, and policies were instituted to prevent home construction and other development projects in ravines or floodplains. Most of this expropriated land was turned into parkland. For example, between Dundas Street and Lake Ontario, the Humber River is parkland,^[30] while what was Raymore Drive at the time of the storm was turned into Raymore Park, which contains a footbridge over the Humber dedicated to the victims.^[32]

Retirement

As a result of the catastrophic damage and severe death tolls in the Caribbean, United States and Canada, the name Hazel was retired, and will never again be used for an Atlantic hurricane. Since it was retired before the creation of formal lists, it was not replaced with any particular name.^[33]

See also

Tropical cyclones portal

• Raymore Drive
• List of Canadian hurricanes
• List of retired Atlantic hurricane names
• History of Toronto
• Geography and climate of Toronto

References

• Bowyer, Peter (2004), Remembering Hurricane Hazel, Canadian Hurricane Centre, http://www.ec.gc.ca/ouragans-hurricanes/default.asp?lang=En&n=4343267B-1 
• Cullingworth, J.B. (1987), Urban and regional planning in Canada, New Jersey: Transaction Publishers, ISBN 0887381359 
• Filey, Mike (2003), Toronto Sketches 7, Toronto: Dundurn Press, ISBN 1550025260 
• Gifford, Jim (2004), Hurricane Hazel: Canada's Storm of the Century, Toronto: Dundurn Press, ISBN 1550024485 
• Hairr, John (2008), The Great Hurricanes of North Carolina, Stroud, United Kingdom: The History Press, ISBN 1596293918 
• Stokes, Barbara (2007), Myrtle Beach: a history, 1900–1980, Columbia, South Carolina: University of South Carolina Press, ISBN 1570036977 

Notes

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Hurricane Hazel

• CBC Digital Archives — The Wrath of Hurricane Hazel

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