Hurricane Hazel

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Hurricane Hazel

Category 4 hurricane (SSHS)
Track map of Hurricane Hazel
Formed	October 5, 1954
Dissipated	October 17, 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, Toronto and southern and eastern 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 huricane 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, raising the death toll by 81 more people. Most of the deaths—concentrated around Toronto—were caused by a now-extratropical storm retaining hurricane-strength winds and moisture. 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 its economy for several years to come. At least 1,000 people perished in Haiti. 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 locations located in floodplains, such as the Humber River between Dundas Street and Lake Ontario, were converted from residential areas to parkland. In Canada alone, over C$135 million (2009: $1.1 billion) of damage was incurred.

Hazel was particularly destructive in Toronto due a combination of a lack of experience of dealing with tropical storms, unexpectedly retaining considerable power after crossing 1,100 kilometres (680 mi) over land, and 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, which distributed $5.1 million (2009: $41.7 million) in aid.

[edit] 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 even more dangerous. The storm crossed Haiti two days later as a Category 2 storm, 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 reaching 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 on 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 storm 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 are generally too cold.^[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 centered 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) were 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 had exited Canada, 81 people died in Ontario.^[5] Hazel had only fully dissipated by October 18.^[3]

[edit] Preparations

American planes had observed the intensifying storm north in the Atlantic Ocean along the East Coast, and after going north of Florida into cooler waters, they expected it to lose power.^[1] Originally forecast to hit Savannah, Georgia,^[6] the National Weather Bureau issued a warning for the Carolinas at 11 a.m. EDT on October 14, with the caveat that Hazel was expected to stay offshore and largely spare any land. Instead, the hurricane 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 is also evidenced by the high property damage and significant loss of life.^[1] With few people in Canada having any experience with hurricanes, with hurricanes that far north and that far inland being virtually unheard of,^[9] very few warnings were given and there were no evacuations prior to the storm as it was expected that it would pass east of the city. 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]

[edit] Impact

[edit] Caribbean

The island of Curaçao, part of 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. The hurricane was also responsible for considerable wind 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 its economy for several years.^[10][11] Objects—such as bowls made in Haiti—were reported to have been transported by hurricane as the Carolinian coast.^[12] Located directly east of Hispaniola, Puerto Rico suffered its worst flooding since 1899 as a result of the hurricane. Due to timely warnings, only nine people were killed: eight by drowning and one by a landslide. Many buildings, as well as the infrastructure and agricultural areas, suffered serious damage, and over 11,000 people were evacuated from flooded areas.^[13]

[edit] United States

Hazel Rainfall across the Northeast U.S. and Canada

The hurricane passed through the Bahamas and regained strength over the Atlantic Ocean after weakening while crossing Haiti. Hazel made landfall as a Category 4 storm,^[10] near Calabash, North Carolina, halfway between Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and Wilmington, North Carolina, along the North Carolina/South Carolina state border. 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, where most coastal dwellings were 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, described 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, winds of 120 km/h (75 mph) were sustained, with gusts of 140 km/h (87 mph). With winds of this nature prevalent state-wide, heavy damage was caused to forests, and to property as a result of falling trees. However, since the Carolinas, as well as the whole 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 of 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]

[edit] Canada

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

In the few weeks leading up to Hazel striking the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), the region had received particularly above-average 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. As a result, anything built in the floodplain of a major waterway was either inundated or simply swept away. In a city not used to heavy flooding, there had been no experience with the natural disasters like hurricanes, resulting in a lack of preparedness and greater loss of life.^[20]

Although all of Southern Ontario received heavy rainfall as a result of Hazel, the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), in addition to being particularly vulnerable beforehand, received the most rainfall. 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 GTA, there was considerable disparity in the amount of rain received, with the west end receiving considerably more than the east end:^[9] areas southeast of Danforth Avenue, which starts immediately east of the Don River, in the east end of the city, reported only 77 mm (3.0 in) that day, with rainfall totals decreasing when going east. On the other hand, Malton Airport (now Lester B. Pearson International Airport), in the west end of the city reported 137 mm (5.4 in) of rain, with the totals increasing until past Brampton.^[1]

With river and stream levels rising, Toronto's infrastructure took a heavy hit. Not built to withstand serious flooding, being in a climate area that does not see exceptionally prolonged or heavy rainfall, over 50 bridges, many part of important highways, were destroyed when high water itself washed them out or debris in the water smashed them. Numerous roads and railways were also washed out.^[21][22] Highway 400, passing through Holland Marsh north of Toronto, 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 from Lake Simcoe.^[23] While mariners headed warnings, avoid loss of life, as a result of high waves on Lake Ontario, the National Yacht Club incurred over C$100,000 (2009: over C$800,000) in damages.^[21]

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

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 escape to Bradford, which is located on a hill, and avoid drowning. Property damage was particularly severe: Allan Andreson, a CBC reporter, described 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." Like the property losses, the economic losses were also hard. While most of the years crop had been harvested by mid-October, it had not been brought in, and it was either submerged or swept away by the flood.^[23]

The Humber River, located in the west end of the city, caused the most destruction, as a result of an intense flash flood. The river, located in a glacial trench, has some areas where the river occupies the full width of the trench; however, in other areas, most of the trench is a floodplain, which was heavily urbanized and deforested at the time. While some sort of flood control was previously proposed for the Humber River, none existed, and with most of the rains running off directly into the river, a flash flood ensued, which was especially exacerbated by the steepness of the river. 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, saying that "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 were devastated: the Humber at Woodbridge swelled from its usual width of 20 m (66 ft) to 107 m (350 ft) at its narrowest point, leaving hundreds homeless and nine dead. Of the 81 Canadian causalities, 35 alone 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 simply 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 flood damage was so severe that the area that was flooded along Raymore Drive ceased to be a residential area and became a park.^[23]

Further west, the Etobicoke Creek also overflowed its banks, which caused heavy flooding near Lake Ontario. Seven people were killed, and many dwellings were swept into the lake.^[25] In the east side of Toronto, areas near 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—81 people—in Canada. 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]

[edit] Aftermath

[edit] 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 may have erroneously concluded that the city was destroyed as a result of the massive media coverage, that the city would be ready for the coming summer. As a result of the partial destruction brought by Hazel, Myrtle Beach was transformed, with the rebuilding, from a "quaint summer colony to a high-rise resort city".^[28]

[edit] Canada

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, pike poles to search for bodies.^[29]

The Hurricane Relief Fund (HRF) was established to "receive contributions from all those citizens in this province and elsewhere who desire to assist those who have lost so much." Receiving donations from organisations, companies and individuals such as 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 being used up through administration expenses.^[29]

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 mitigating circumstances.^[30] Other than making changes in the Greater Toronto Area, 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]

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]

[edit] See also

Tropical cyclones portal

• List of Canadian hurricanes
• List of retired Atlantic hurricane names

[edit] References

• Bowyer, Peter (2004), Remembering Hurricane Hazel, Canadian Hurricane Centre, http://www.atl.ec.gc.ca/weather/hurricane/hazel/ 
• 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 

[edit] Notes

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Hurricane Hazel

• CBC Digital Archives — The Wrath of Hurricane Hazel

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