Page 13 - 4650 50th Anniversary Book Final

Hazel Didn’t Knock... She Broke Down the Door.

October 5-16, 1954
Hurricane Hazel formed near the Windward Is-
lands on October 5th with winds estimated near
100 mph. She continued to intensify as she
moved west-northwest into the Caribbean Sea
over the next few days. Hazel meandered north-
eastward then to the north-northwest from the
10th through the 15th when she made landfall
near Little River and Calabash at the border be-
tween North Carolina and South Carolina. Wind
speeds were estimated at 130 to 150 mph be-
tween Myrtle Beach, SC, and Cape Fear, NC.
Storm warnings were issued at 11:00 a.m. EST on
October 14th from Charleston, SC, to the Virginia
Capes giving 24 hours advance notice to people
along the coastal Carolinas. Hurricane Hazel was
STORM TRIVIA
extraordinary for retaining significant wind
* Hazel had a forward speed of more than 30
speeds well into Canada as she continued to track
mph allowing places like Washington, DC, to
northward over Washington, DC, and New York.
report 78 mph wind gusts.
* * The total number of deaths may be more than
1,000 with 95 in the United States, 100 in
Canada, and nearly 1,000 in Haiti.
Flooding from 11 inches of rainfall contributed to
20 drownings in the Carolinas and 78 deaths in
Canada.
* A hurricane hunter was injured when reconnai-
* A hurri
sance aircraft hit severe turbulence entering the
eye wall of Hazel.
* Every pier and lines of beach homes along 170
miles of beach from Myrtle Beach to Wilmington
were demolished.
* Of $163 million in damages, $63 million ac-
counted for SC and NC beaches and $100 million
in property losses.

Photos from North
Myrtle Beach Area
Historical Museum
archives

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