Before Sandy, there was Connie and Hazel
Sandy isn't the first tropical storm to hit Hamilton or make its presence known with whipping winds, power outages, flooding and heavy rainfall.
More than 50 years ago, hurricanes Hazel and Connie, respectively touched down in Hamilton. Though their time here was brief — amounting to no more than a rowdy night on the town — both left an enduring mark on the city, and primarily along the stretch of the east end waterfront known as the Beach Strip, said local historian Brian Henley.
"The impact on Hamilton of those hurricanes would be less on the city than on the Beach Strip, which was mainly affected," said Henley.
Brian Henley writes an excellent blog called 'Henley's Hamilton'. It captures remarkable moments in Hamilton history that might otherwise be lost in time.
Hurricane Hazel, which would kill 81 people in Ontario, leave 4,000 people homeless, and cost an estimated $100 million in damages, began as a tropical disturbance off Grenada on October 5, 1954. The storm later developed into a category 4 hurricane as Hazel travelled to the Caribbean through to Haiti, Cuba, the U.S. and Canada.
By the time Hazel hit the Great Lakes on Oct. 15, her strength had greatly dissipated. Unfortunately, the dying hurricane merged with another extratropical cyclone that was hovering over the Great Lakes at the same time. The result was a powerful and unexpected hybrid storm that would later be dubbed "Hazel II."
Hazel II hit Hamilton sometime before midnight on Oct. 15. Winds reached 110 kilometres per hour (68 mph), and 14-foot waves pounded the Beach Strip, destroying a handful of cottages and summer homes along Van Wagner’s Beach.
The storm didn't leave the rest of the city untouched, however. It also saw landslides on the Mountain Brow, falling trees, flooding on John Street, Victoria and Birch avenues, downed power lines as well as some residential flooding, and caused cave-ins along James Street, according to Environment Canada.
And then came Connie
Hurricane Connie began off the Cape Verde Islands on Aug. 3, 1955, eventually making her way into Canada through the northeastern United States. Connie entered Ontario via Lake Erie on Aug. 14 around midnight, by which time she'd been downgraded to a tropical depression.
Once again the Beach Strip felt the storm's wrath most keenly as winds of 56 km/h battered the area and resulted in 12-foot waves.
According to Environment Canada, five cottages were destroyed on Van Wagner's Beach during the onslaught and many others were damaged. A naval harbour tug boat also sunk near Hamilton and more than two dozen motor boats were destroyed in Burlington.
Hazel and Connie changed Hamilton
In the early 1950s and for many years before Hazel and Connie came to town, the Beach Strip area was home to summer cottagers and year-round beach dwellers, said Henley.
Proximity to Lake Ontario made these people and their homes vulnerable to "high waves and an influx of water," both of which occurred with the arrival of Hazel and Connie in their various forms.
The areas of Van Wagner Beach and Cherry Beach were most affected by the wind, rain and waves kicked up by both storms. The damage didn't go unnoticed at the municipal or provincial levels.
"So much damage was done and people left homeless that it was decided to expropriate all of the property along Cherry Beach and parts of Van Wagner's Beach to prevent another disaster," said Henley.
The expropriation would change the residential character of the area that had developed since the turn of the century. The changes would be both good and bad.
"Confederation Park was an outgrowth of the expropriation of the flood zones," said Henley.