It’s been a quiet hurricane season so far. Fingers crossed …
Things were a lot different in 1954.
That year, Hurricane Carol struck on August 31. The Category 3 storm had winds of up to 110 miles an hour.
It was the most destructive storm to hit New England in nearly 20 years, and caused significant damage here. But its effects on eastern Connecticut and Rhode Island were much worse.
Just 11 days later, Hurricane Edna walloped Westport. It too was a Category 3, and dumped the heaviest amount of rain in 45 years on New York City.
The photoa below show the flooding on Main Street. The view is familiar. The stores are not.
And let’s hope that — thanks to mitigation efforts — the scene will not be repeated, no matter how powerful a hurricane may be.
(Photo courtesy of Christopher Maroc)
(Photo courtesy of James Gray)
Do you recognize the spot below?
It’s the corner of Hillspoint Road and Compo Hill Road, during Hurricane Carol.
The large building was Joe’s Store. It later became Cafe de la Plage, then Positano restaurant. Today it’s the site of the “blue house” — the still-unfinished home on Old Mill Beach.
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