HURRICANE!
Library of Congress It happened in the middle of the night on September 2, 1935. It was Labor Day weekend, and little did the residents of the Florida Keys know that a category 5 hurricane was barreling toward them. But when the monstrous storm made landfall, everyone realized the danger. Waters rose. Biting rain pounded. Sustained winds battered at 185 mph!
On Metacumbe Key, a storm surge caused ocean waves to crest between 15-20-feet. Soon, every building, every tree, every living thing on the island was being ripped to shreds. On Lower Metacumbe Bay, 260 U.S. World War I veterans were surrounded by the storm. They'd been working on an overseas highway and hadn't been given ample warning or opportunity to evacuate. A train was sent to rescue them, but the storm surge pushed it off its tracks. Help was not on the way.
Tragically, all the men lost their lives.
By the time the storm subsided, the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane had claimed at least 485 victims.
On Metacumbe Key, a storm surge caused ocean waves to crest between 15-20-feet. Soon, every building, every tree, every living thing on the island was being ripped to shreds. On Lower Metacumbe Bay, 260 U.S. World War I veterans were surrounded by the storm. They'd been working on an overseas highway and hadn't been given ample warning or opportunity to evacuate. A train was sent to rescue them, but the storm surge pushed it off its tracks. Help was not on the way.
Tragically, all the men lost their lives.
By the time the storm subsided, the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane had claimed at least 485 victims.
Digitized by the Library of the University of Virginia
Allie, my main character in Mama's Chicken & Dumplings, overhears her mama talking about a hurricane brewing in the Atlantic, but that's the only mention I make of it in my work of historical fiction. If the storm had greatly impacted Charlottesville, Virginia, I would have included more. But by the time the storm moved inland it had weakened.
The local newspaper, the Daily Progress, however, did report on three days of heavy rains from the storm, which destroyed corn and apple crops. And it reported that the town of Scottsville, Virginia, located about 20 miles south of Charlottesville, had flooded when the the James River rose 23 feet above its normal level. No doubt, the overflowing waters of Mink Creek, which passed by the Methodist Church on Main Street, were also responsible for the town's streets being turned into waterways navigable only by rowboats.
The local newspaper, the Daily Progress, however, did report on three days of heavy rains from the storm, which destroyed corn and apple crops. And it reported that the town of Scottsville, Virginia, located about 20 miles south of Charlottesville, had flooded when the the James River rose 23 feet above its normal level. No doubt, the overflowing waters of Mink Creek, which passed by the Methodist Church on Main Street, were also responsible for the town's streets being turned into waterways navigable only by rowboats.
(c) Photo: Edward L. Dorrier
I wondered if the residents of Vinegar Hill had a fundraiser for the African American family from Scottsville who lost everything when their two-story home was swept away by a flooded creek while the family was stuck inside. (Thankfully, the house floated and became lodged onto a bridge and the uninjured family was subsequently rescued.)
Following the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935, the Weather Bureau determined to improve hurricane warnings and evacuation orders. Nowadays, the National Weather Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) use powerful tools like satellite imaging and supercomputers to sound hurricane warnings to give residents of coastal areas plenty of time to evacuate, thus minimizing loss of life.
Following the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935, the Weather Bureau determined to improve hurricane warnings and evacuation orders. Nowadays, the National Weather Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) use powerful tools like satellite imaging and supercomputers to sound hurricane warnings to give residents of coastal areas plenty of time to evacuate, thus minimizing loss of life.
Photo Credits
1. "Rescue Train Swept off the Tracks by the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane." Library of Congress, Control No. 2021670725, accessed September 8. 2023.
2. Front page of the Daily Progress. Charlottesville, VA, No. 16, 104, September 5, 1935, accessed September 8, 2023.
3. Dorrier, Edward L. Dorrier. "Sept. 6, 1935 Flood Photo of Main Street in Scottsville, VA." Irene and Edward L. Dorrier Collection, Scottsville Museum, Scottsville, VA, accessed September 8, 2023. Photo used with permission from Irene Dorrier and the Scottsville Museum.
2. Front page of the Daily Progress. Charlottesville, VA, No. 16, 104, September 5, 1935, accessed September 8, 2023.
3. Dorrier, Edward L. Dorrier. "Sept. 6, 1935 Flood Photo of Main Street in Scottsville, VA." Irene and Edward L. Dorrier Collection, Scottsville Museum, Scottsville, VA, accessed September 8, 2023. Photo used with permission from Irene Dorrier and the Scottsville Museum.
Bibliography
Daily Progress, September 5, 1935, p. 1, digitized by the University of Virginia Library, accessed September 1, 2023.
Daily Progress, September 6, 1935, p. 1, digitized by the University of Virginia Library, accessed September 1, 2023.
HurricaneScience.org. "1935-Labor Day Hurricane." The University of Rhode Island, accessed September 1, 2023.
Library of Congress. "Rescue Train Swept off the Tracks by the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane." Item Description, accessed September 1, 2023.
McDonald, W. F. "The Hurricane of August 31 to September 6, 1935." Monthly Weather Review, 63, 269-271, accessed September 1, 2023.
National Weather Service. "NOAA Weather Radio in the Florida Keys." NOAA, accessed September 1, 2023.
Daily Progress, September 6, 1935, p. 1, digitized by the University of Virginia Library, accessed September 1, 2023.
HurricaneScience.org. "1935-Labor Day Hurricane." The University of Rhode Island, accessed September 1, 2023.
Library of Congress. "Rescue Train Swept off the Tracks by the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane." Item Description, accessed September 1, 2023.
McDonald, W. F. "The Hurricane of August 31 to September 6, 1935." Monthly Weather Review, 63, 269-271, accessed September 1, 2023.
National Weather Service. "NOAA Weather Radio in the Florida Keys." NOAA, accessed September 1, 2023.
