HURRICANE HAZEL TOUCHES DUFFERIN COUNTY

Hurricane Hazel formed a long way from Dufferin County, but on the 15th October 1954 she was felt in the village of Grand Valley and the Town of Orangeville.

HURRICANE HAZEL

The worst hurricane of 1954 was hurricane Hazel. On the afternoon of October 5th. hurricane hunter planes found the eye about 50 miles east of the island of Grenada. The eye was poorly defined, but its highest winds were already near 100 mph. It was the beginning of a storm that was to spread death and destruction from the Caribbean up through the Carolinas, the middle of the Atlantic states, and into Canada.

As Hazel crossed the island of Haiti, it left a death toll that was estimated as high as 1,000 people. By October 14th, hurricane hunter planes found Hazel's winds to have accelerated to 150 mph, and the storm was moving at an incredible forward speed of 30 mph. Hazel then moved through the Bahama's, leaving 6 dead.

By 11am on the 14th October, Hazel reached North Carolina, its winds sustained at 150 mph. It was preceded by a storm surge of 14.5 feet. Hazel destroyd the entire town of Garden City, South Carolina, leaving only 2 of 275 homes habitable. The centre of Hurricane Hazel passed over Raleigh, North Carolina, on the 15th, and at this point the storm became extra tropical. Hazel continued its destruction through Virginia and all the way up to the Canadian border. In the United States alone, Hazel had killed 95 people, and had done $251,630,000[U.S] worth of property damage.

On Friday evening of the 15th. October 1954 the remains of Hurrican Hazel ripped into Dufferin County, causing extensive flooding to many home basements in the village of Grand Valley and Orangeville. The hardest hit area was the then new building of Dufferin Area Hospital when surface waters got into the basememt of the structure doing considerable damage.

The Mill Creek spewed over its banks flooding the area of the hydro site-station on Mill Street so that some sand bagging was necessary. On No.9 Highway at the "sink hole" west of Town, water covered the roadway to a depth of one and a half feet, but at no time was traffic stopped.

The Hockley Valley district experienced the highest waters in 40 years. The water swollen Nottawasaga overflowed its banks and carried away the fourth line bridge in Mono Township and Shirley's bridge on the County road at the curve between the Shirley and the web properties. The removal by natural forces of the bridge was not regretted by some who used the Hockley Road. Since the narrow bridge with its sharp approaches had been the scene of many an accident.

According to some residents of Grand Valley,the deluge brought the biggest back up of waters from the swollen fast flowing Grand River ever witnessed in the village.

On the morning of the 16th. October entrance to the village could only be gained from one direction, the west. The provincial Highway into the village was impassable under four feet of water for the equivalent of almost four blocks. The Amaranth St. bridge and its approaches were likewise submerged so that it was impossible for traffic to navigate. On the County road leading north from the village,waters covered that road to a considerable depth just south of the Black bridge.

The then new Dufferin Area Hospital in Orangeville suffered the most from the storm of any building in the area. The waters from the heavy downpour accumulated in the already sodden ground at the back of the building when drains plugged and would not carry the surplus water off. The water piled up to a depth of 5 feet in the entrance way leading into the back door of the building. Eventually the door gave way under the pressure of the water. At its worst, the water attained a depth in the basement of six feet and 12 feet in the boiler room.

Two area residents drowned in the flood waters of the Humber at Woodbridge on their way home from Toronto. It is understood that the panel truck in which they were driving, attempted to go over the flooded bridge when the motor of the vehicle stalled. The driver and passenger got out of the truck. Another person seeing the truck stalled went to their assistance and before the horror stricken eyes of the onlookers, the crest of water boring down the river caught them and in a matter of moments the three persons and the truck were swept away.

The great hurricane of October 1954 became a bench mark in the lives of those it had touched. Stories of heroic rescues and tragic losses are well remembered, as are testimonials to the awesome destructive forces the storm displayed. Hazel ranks as one of the most catastrophic hurricanes to strike the United States in the twentieth century.

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