Hazel only Category 4 hurricane to hit NC
HURRICANE HAZEL WAS THE ONLY
CATEGORY FOUR STORM TO EVER
MAKE LANDFALL HERE.
>> BILL LESLIE PROVIDED THIS
LOOK BACK AT THE DAMAGE IT
CAUSED.
[ MUSIC ]
>> IT'S HARD TO IMAGINE WHAT
HURRICANE HAZEL WOULD DO TODAY
WITH THE SAME FREAKISH FEROCITY
IT BROUGHT ASHORE IN OCTOBER
1954.
IT WAS BAD ENOUGH BACK THEN BUT
WITH ALL THE GROWTH WE'VE SEEN
OVER THE PAST FIVE DECADES, THE
DEVASTATION WOULD BE ABSOLUTELY
HORRIFIC TODAY.
ESPECIALLY SOUTH OF WILMINGTON
IN BRANSFORD COUNTY.
HAZEL HIT THE SOUTHERN COAST AT
THE WORST TIME, IT WAS THE
HIGHEST LUNAR TIDE OF THE YEAR
AND LOCAL HUNTERS CALLED IT THE
MARSH IN TIDE.
THE STORM SURGE WAS A
STAGGERING 18 FEET AT CALABASH,
WINDS WERE CLOCKED AT HUNDRED
50 MILES PER HOUR ON HOLDEN
BEACH, EVEN AS FAR INLAND AS
GOLDSBORO AND KINGSTON HAZEL'S
WINDS WERE WHIPPING AT 120
MILES AN HOUR AND STILL
HURRICANE STRENGTH WHEN IT
ROARED THROUGH RALEIGH.
HAZEL QUICKLY EARNED THE
NICKNAME THE BULLDOZER.
IT FLATTENED EVERYTHING IN ITS
DIRECT PATH.
TREES SNAPPED LIKE DRY
SPAGHETTI, HIGHWAYS WERE
LITTERED WITH THOUSANDS AND
THOUSANDS OF TREES.
RETIRED SOLDIERS LIKENED THE
DAMAGE TO A SCENE OUT OF WORLD
WAR II.
19 PEOPLE DIED DURING HAZEL'S
MARCH ACROSS EASTERN NORTH
CAROLINA, MORE THAN 200 PEOPLE
SUFFERED INJURIES.
PROPERTY LOSSES TOPPED OUT AT
$136 MILLION AND THAT INCLUDED
MORE THAN DESTRUCTION OF MORE
THAN 15,000 HOMES.
HAZEL BECAME A NEW POINT OF
REFERENCE FOR NORTH
CAROLINIANS.
IT CREATED A HIGH WATER MARK
FOR MISERY.
BUT LIKE ALL CATASTROPHES,
HEROES EMERGED FROM THE RUBBLE.
DRAMATIC RESCUES BROUGHT A
SENSE OF HOPE INTO THE CAROLINA
PSYCHE.
LETTING PEOPLE NO THAT THE
FOLLOWING YEAR IN 1955 FOUR
MORE HURRICANES WOULD HAMMER
THE STATE, CONNIE DIANE AND --
COULDN'T HOLD A CANDLE TO
HURRICANE HAZEL.
>>>