Hurricane Hazel Category 4 hurricane
 
Formed October 5, 1954
Dissipated October 17, 1954
Highest winds 150 mph (240 km/h) (1-minute sustained) 
Lowest pressure ≤ 937 mbar (hPa; 27.68 inHg)
Fatalities 600 - 1,200 direct
Damage $381 million (1954 USD)
$2.92 billion (2007 USD)
Areas affected Grenada, Haiti, Bahamas, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, Toronto and southern and eastern Ontario

Hurricane Hazel, the fourth major hurricane of 1954, hammers southern Ontario, Canada, on this day in 1954. Hazel hit hard from Jamaica to Canada, killing more than 400 people and causing over $1 billion in damages.


On October 5 hurricane hunters spotted Hurricane Hazel about 50 miles east of the island of Grenada. The storm gathered strength as it moved west across the Atlantic Ocean and then began to turn north. First in its line of fire was Jamaica. Then, with winds reaching 140 miles per hour, Hazel struck Haiti on October 12. The towns of Cayes, Marfranc and Moton were demolished. Hundreds of families lost their homes and nearly half of the island’s coffee and cacao crop was destroyed. Moving northeast, the Category 4 storm rocked the edge of Puerto Rico, where eight people lost their lives.


Early on the morning of October 15, the storm made landfall just north Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and then moved along the U.S. coast to North Carolina and Virginia. Though coastal towns suffered the worst damage, even cities far from the ocean were affected. In Raleigh, North Carolina, winds were recorded at over 100 miles per hour. In Wilmington, Delaware, a woman was killed when winds picked her up and slammed her into a trolley car.


As Hazel slowed, even inland areas experienced excessive rain. The Ohio River flooded in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Thousands had to be evacuated from their homes and four people died in Pittsburgh. Moving north on the night of October 15, Hazel caught the Toronto area relatively unaware. When the Humber River flooded, entire neighborhoods were washed away and 81 people were killed. The storm finally dissipated the following day.
WEATHER MAPS
OCT. 15, 1954..CLICK MAP FOR LARGER IMAGE
OCT. 16, 1954..CLICK MAP FOR LARGER IMAGE
FRONT PAGE NEWS
October 15, 1954
October 16, 1954
October 18, 1954
NEWSPAPER ARTICLES
.Much property damage part 1  part 2 part 3  part 4   part 5  
Sharp rises in rivers part 1 part 2
Tail end of disturbance part 1  part 2
STORM WARNING Part 1   part 2   part 3
Pennsylvania Hills part 1   part 2   part 3
Toll of death in state part 1   part 2   part 3 
Property and utility loss part 1   part 2  part 3
Heavy snyder county loss part 1   part 2
Storm generated by Hurricane causes 7 deaths in Toronto
New York State
New Jersey area
Rivers rise slightly
Garage upside down
Crest of flood,thousands homeless part 1   part 2 part 3
Mop up continues part 1   part 2   part 3
Fear 100 dead in Canadian Providence
PHOTOS
Canada Damage
Damage from Hurricane Hazel, 1954
The Canadian Army clears away debris
Damage from Hurricane Hazel – Toronto, 1954
Woodbridge during Hurricane Hazel – 1954
Flooding during Hurricane Hazel – Toronto, 1954
Chapel Hill in the aftermath of Hurricane Hazel.
.The Old Pier House Restaurant located next to the Kure Beach Pier
Army forces clearing debris left by Hurricane Hazel, Toronto,
North Carolina
Hurricane Hazel batters Moorehead City, N.C
Hurricane Hazel shatters boats and buildings in Swansboro, N.C
South Carolina
The remains of the Ocean Drive Pavilion at Ocean Drive Beach, S.C.,
Page created 1/27/08
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