Hurricane hazel ripped through toronto 62 years ago, on oct. When hurricane hazel struck the city in october 1954, i was a teenager. Raymore drive is a mostly residential street in the weston neighbourhood of toronto in the canadian province of ontario. Toronto s kipling subway station on tuesday afternoon. Oct 15, 2016 leaving death and wreckage in its wake, the worst storm ever to slam toronto heralded a new approach to urban planning in the city. She is the first and current chancellor of sheridan college. It struck during the overnight hours of friday october 15, 1954, flooding the humber and don river valleys, causing the authorities to declare the bridges that spanned the rivers unsafe. Leaving death and wreckage in its wake, the worst storm ever to slam toronto heralded a new approach to urban planning in the city. The hurricane destroyed the houses at the mouth of the creek, and moved the creek mouth east.
Some of the top drivers from the early years were ivan moore, jack cook, jack burbridge, glenn schurr, ben. Between october 5 and october 16, 1954, hurricane hazel formed in the tropics, tracked through the interior of the united states and across the great lakes where it merged with a cold front and dropped record rainfall amounts in the greater toronto area. Hurricane florence might join that short list by the end of the week. By coincidence, october 15 was also the lunar high tide, which meant that sea level was already higher than normal when hazel s storm surge arrived. On hurricane hazel s 62nd anniversary, i remember the most devastating storm that ever hit toronto. Now, in her final term, her 975,467 torontonians cant be wrong. Why toronto was drenched by record rainfall live science. Feb 8, 2016 hurricane hazel,1954, toronto,ontario,canada.
After causing 95 fatalities in the us, hazel struck canada as an extratropical storm, raising the death toll by 81 people, mostly in toronto. I did hear a lot of news on the radio about the damage. Crawford met herb jones, a contractor on fairglen crescent. Chronology of storm events hazel affects transportation the effects of hazel on toronto area communities southern ontario impacts recovery lives that were taken. This is the third post detailing major events reported in the daily newspapers in toronto during the 1950s. Hurricane hazel mitigation environment and climate. Pinecrest speedway remembering the good old days public. Hurricane hunters recon jet flight over katrina aug 26, 2005 duration. It was first identified on october 5, 1954, in the caribbean, where it smashed into haiti and then battered the carolinas. A more coordinated approach between conservation authorities, local municipalities and the province took form after hazel, and today these organizations play a significant role in the.
A family carries clothing from their shattered home after hurricane hazel struck toronto in 1954. Hurricane hazel impacts environment and climate change canada. Hurricane hazel was a disaster, but a benefit that came out of the experience was the creation of toronto and region conservation trca and flood warning systems. But hurricane hazel october 518, 1954 was a storm of such epic. Sports reference blog get site news and learn about new and existing features. I was turned off from coming here because of the low yelp rating. When the humber river burst its banks and tore away a footbridge, the waters of the humber were redirected through the neighbourhood. Oct 19, 2012 in october of 1954, hurricane hazel roared through toronto, leaving mangled homes and businesses in its wake. Jim crawford was a 23 year old offduty police officer the night hurricane hazel hit toronto. It peaked as a category 4 storm, but by the time it reached canada, it was an extratropical category 1 storm after merging with an existing cold front south of ontario. In october 1954, hurricane hazel destroyed approximately 400 feet of the west grandstand. Clarence bud nolan was 12 and in his etobicoke backyard when hurricane hazel arrived on oct. Hurricane hazel october 15, 1954 the story here is that. Why lower don flood protection is a necessary cost.
Toronto marks 60 years since hurricane hazel destruction. Torontos infrastructure also took a major hit, with as much as 50 bridges being washed out by the rising. Hurricane hazel was torontos perfect storm the star. Hurricane hazel,1954,toronto,ontario,canada toronto. On hurricane hazels 62nd anniversary, i remember the most devastating storm that ever hit toronto. Hurricane hazel october 15, 1954 the story here is that flickr. A sign marquee advertising the movie gone with the wind was blown down by the wind from hazel. The city of toronto has already pulled back all of its energy use. With it came winds reaching 124 kilometres an hour and more than 200 millimetres of rain falling every 48 hours. The fire truck the men were driving became stuck on a flooded street and overturned. Toronto became an island, residents unable to reach the outside world. After causing 95 deaths in the us, hazel struck canada as an extratropical storm, raising the death toll by 81 people, mostly in toronto. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. It remains the worst storm in toronto s history, as well as a massive wakeup call for urban planning in toronto.
The story here is that on october 15th of the year 1954 southern ontario was hit with the worst hurricane in canadian history. It peaked as a category 4 storm, but by the time it reached canada, it was an extratropical category 1 storm after merging with an existing. The hurricane that flooded ithaca the ithaca voice. The toronto daily star of monday october 18, 1954, reporting the destruction of hurricane hazel. Get scores, news and notes in your inbox every day. Hurricane hazel, which hit north carolina in 1954, was the only category 4 storm to ever make landfall in the state. Hurricane hazel struck north carolina early in the morning on october 15, 1954. Including more than 100 neverbeforepublished photographs, hurricane hazel. The home page for the national weather service weather forecast office in wilmington, nc. After punishing haiti with mudslides that killed hundreds, hazel edged northward, striking the carolina coast as a ferocious category four. Hurricane hazel was one of the most devastating and unpredictable tropical storms of the 20th century. Contact paul willms at 416 6616600, extension 5316 to find out more about how you can contribute to creektime. On october 15, 1954, the area was severely affected by hurricane hazel.
Hurricane hazel was the deadliest, costliest, and most intense hurricane of the 1954 atlantic hurricane season. The effects of hazel on toronto area communities humber river. Hurricane hazel advocating for raymore park in torontos. Using jones 25horsepower boat they headed out into the river and ended up saving 50 lives. Capturing hazel mccallions very public persona has never been difficult. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading hurricane hazel. Flooding destroyed bridges, engulfed trailer parks and residential areas, and swept automobiles, trailers, cottages and homes into the strong current. Aug 20, 2012 hurricane hazel struck the toronto area on 1516 october 1954, with devastating results.
Its also available for football, basketball and hockey. Disaster relief, politics, and society in canada, 195455 article in journal of canadian studies 401. This proved that her nickname of hurricane hazel suited her to the tee. Be sure to check out the apartment floorplan options. A footbridge over the humber river in raymore park. Hurricane hazel, october 15, 1954 national weather service. The park was created in the 1950s following hurricane hazel. The storm killed at least 469 people in haiti before striking the united states near the border between north and south carolina as a category 4 hurricane. Oct 10, 2014 immediately after delivering the address, she dashed off to the next high school in the city to address that schools graduates.
Toronto ambulance service pioneer recalls dog eat dog business. Marie curtis park is located in the extreme southwest corner of toronto, on the mississauga border, at the mouth of the etobicoke creek. Fielding stats are a combination of official records and retrosheet records. On friday 16 october 1954, hurricane hazel generated flash floods in the watersheds surrounding toronto. What are your most and least favourite things about toronto.
Hazel killed as many as 1,000 people in haiti before striking the. To order presentationready copies of toronto star content for. The land was saturated after several days of steady rain and when hazel hit, toront. Toronto ambulance service pioneer recalls dog eat dog. Beaches from southport to topsail beach saw storm surges of 15 feet. Pinecrest would now be considered canadas only allweather racetrack. While mississauga turned into a massive city of immigrants, hazel mccallion remained the same stubborn, pennypinching mayor. In 1954 i had just turned 16, and got my first driver s license. O n october 15, 1954, the most famous hurricane in canadian history struck southern ontario. This entry was posted in hurricane hazel, raymore park and tagged cherri hurst, heritage toronto, hurricane hazel, raymor park, weston historical society on 20150923 by roy murray.
Please do not send original photographs, as we can not guarantee their return. Hurricane hazel struck toronto during the overnight hours of friday october 15, 1954. Macmillan of canada, 1979 hurricane hazel, 1954 176 pages. Hurricane hazel a hurricane is defined as a severe tropical cyclone having winds greater than 64 knots 74 miles per hour.
A tow truck driver tries to remove a car from the flooded don valley parkway on monday evening. Using jones 25horsepower boat they headed out into the river. Hazel, the deadliest and costliest storm of the 1954 atlantic hurricane season, reached toronto, ontario by the evening of october 15, 1954. Volunteer fireman bryan mitchell toronto star, october 14, 1984. Eastern seaboard in midoctober 1954, eventually landing in the record books as one of the most deadly and enduring hurricanes. The toronto area had experienced above average rainfall that autumn, especially in the two weeks prior to hazel s arrival, saturating the. The first indication that a tropical cyclone had formed came on october 5, 1954 about 50 miles east of the island of grenada in the windward islands. Flooding in the greater toronto area as we know it. Hazel mccallion, has won every mayoral election contested in mississauga since 1978.
Cappy and smith changed the track surface to concrete for the 1954 season and claimed it as canadas only allweather track. Hurricane hazel was projected to dissipate, but instead reintensified unexpectedly and rapidly, pounding the toronto region with winds that reached 110. It was the worst natural disaster the city ever endured. His narrative follows the fortunes of secondgrader penny doucette and her family as floodwaters rise into the second story of their house and they are forced to seek refuge on the roof in the howling wind and rain. Please practice handwashing and social distancing, and check out our resources for adapting to these times.
Canadas storm of the century documents one of the worst natural disasters in canadian history. Hurricane hazel impacted people and communities throughout toronto and southern ontario when it struck the night of october 15, 1954. The date is seared into the psyche of those who lived through what many describe as the most destructive hurricane event in north carolina history. A life with purpose kindle edition by mccallion, hazel, brehl, robert. Hurricane hazel was projected to dissipate, but instead reintensified unexpectedly and rapidly, pounding the toronto region with winds that reached 110 kilometres per hour 68 mph and 285 millimetres 11. Hurricane hazel rages across toronto toronto in time. And then you couldnt even hear the screams anymore. The trca was created out of several smaller conservation authorities to manage the regions floodplains and rivers. Living in the center of north carolina, i was not directly affected by hurricane hazel. The high point enterprise from high point, north carolina page 19. Hurricane hazel struck the toronto area on 1516 october 1954, with devastating results. The humber and don rivers flooded, causing the authorities to declare the bridges spanning these river to be unsafe. Toronto ontario canada toronto city old pictures old photos hurricane hazel atlantic hurricane. After the storm, 17 bodies remained missing in the humber valley.
Basing their decisions on past flood experiences, many residents did not evacuate, despite warnings to do so. The high point enterprise from high point, north carolina on. Rivers were inundated by the heavy rainfall and their waters rose rapidly, barrelling with tremendous force down the river valleys. October 15th, 2004 marks the 50th anniversary of the natural disaster which forever changed the way we think about the valley corridors in toronto and and surrounding area. The storm struck toronto on october 15 with winds of 124 kmh and record rainfall.
The remnants of hurricane hazel hit toronto in 1954. Oct 15, 2012 usually, this blog tends to focus on historical weather events in their major anniversary years, e. The rapid flooding caught many area residents by surprise as they had no recollection of floods of hazel s magnitude. Hurricane hazel impacts environment and climate change. Hurricane hazel killed 35 people on one etobicoke street when hurricane hazel ripped through toronto in. Perhaps the most towering figure in canadian municipal political history, in more than 36 years as mayor, she oversaw the transformation of mississauga from a comatose commuter town west of toronto. Usually, this blog tends to focus on historical weather events in their major anniversary years, e. Toronto is mopping up after a record amount of rain fell across the city and theres still one major critical issue that could send the city back into the dark. Dams had been proposed for the humber river prior to hazel to act as water regulation dams. Yet toronto s history with severe flooding extends well beyond hazel. Story submissions may also be faxed to 416 6616274, attention hurricane hazel coordinator, or mailed to hurricane hazel coordinator at toronto and region conservation, 5 shoreham drive, downsview, on m3n 1s4. Hurricane hazel was the deadliest and costliest hurricane of the 1954 atlantic hurricane season. Sep 4, 20 this pin was discovered by darrell weaver.
During the storm, winds reached 124 kmh and over 200 millimetres of rain fell in just 24 hours. The devastating impact of hurricane hazel in 1954 was a mobilizing force in bringing a regional approach to flood control and water management in ontario. Grade 25pitt recounts the story of hurricane hazels deadly 1954 pass over a small town near toronto, canada. The storm killed at least 400 people in haiti before striking the united states near the border between north and south carolina, as a category 4 hurricane.
Feb 12, 2016 the deadliest and costliest hurricane of the 1954 atlantic hurricane season. Hurricane hazel was the deadliest and costliest hurricane of the 1954 hurricane season figure 1 and is the strongest and only category 4 hurricane to ever hit the north carolina coast. Hurricane hazel was the worst hurricane of the 1954 atlantic hurricane season and one of the worst hurricanes of the 20th century. Enjoy a wide selection of amenities and features at this community. Toronto became an island, residents unable to travel either east or west of the city. Hurricane hazels legacy at the mouth of etobicoke creek.
When hearing about the flooding damages to houston on the news, and the hurricanes that ravaged much of the caribbean and. Being quite curious a friend and i drove to carolina beach to see for ourselves. It was canadas worst hurricane and torontos worst natural disaster. Hurricane hazel rolled through toronto in 1954 and it hit pinecrest, destroying about 400 feet of the west grandstand. North carolina collection photographic archives, unc chapel hill. With many bridges washed out, transportation between points east of the rouge valley and toronto became very difficult. By the time the waters hit, it was too late for many people, as helpless onlookers watched homes tumbling into the river and heard their neighbours screams for.
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