Victoria Market & King Street Wharf, Kingston, Jamaica, 1906

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception

Franklin D. Edmonds - Victoria Market & King Street Wharf, Kingston, Jamaica, 1906

Item:
Title: Victoria Market & King Street Wharf, Kingston, Jamaica,
Photographer: Franklin D. Edmonds
Publisher:
Publisher#:
Year:
Height: 3.25 in
Width: 3.25 in
Media: glass slide
Color: B/W
Country: Jamaica
Town: Kingston
Notes:
For information about licensing this image, visit: THE CARIBBEAN PHOTO ARCHIVE

Vintage, Famouth, Jamaica

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception

Tropical Events Pre-1920s

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception

1920s

1928 - Lake Okeechobee Hurricane (Florida)
This hurricane made landfall near Palm Beach, FL, on September 16 as a Category 4. The center passed near Lake Okeechobee, producing a storm surge of 6 to 9 feet and causing the lake to overflow its banks and inundate the surrounding area to a depth of 10 to 15 feet. Red Cross officials announced their official casualty estimate, placing the number of deaths at 1,836 in Florida, with the majority of those resulting from drowning primarily due to the lake surge in the Lake Okeechobee region. Damage estimates in Florida were in the range of $25 million.


1926 - Great Miami Hurricane (Florida)
The Great Miami Storm was a Category 4 hurricane when it made landfall over Miami on September 18. The storm tides in Miami ranged from 7.5 to 11.7 feet above mean low water, while tides in Miami Beach ranged from 10.6 feet on the ocean side to 6.4 feet on the bay side. Miami Beach was entirely inundated, with the waterfront of Miami flooded for two to three blocks back from Biscayne Bay. The hurricane moved across Florida, out into the Gulf, and then continued up the coast. Fort Myers reported water reaching 4 to 6 feet above normal, flooding some sections of the city. Pensacola's tide reached a height of 9.4 feet above mean sea level. The hurricane's center then passed across the coasts of Alabama and Mississippi before moving over Louisiana. Tides of 4 to 9 feet were reported along the Gulf coast into Alabama and Mississippi. The Great Miami Storm was responsible for 372 deaths, with damage estimates set at about $105 million.

1910s

1919 - Hurricane (Florida Keys, South Texas)
This hurricane violently passed over Key West, FL, as a Category 4 in mid-September. The storm then moved into the Gulf before making landfall again as a Category 3 near Corpus Christi, TX, a few days later. Corpus Christi was inundated with a storm surge of up to 12 feet, causing major damage to the coastal areas. As the hurricane was approaching Texas, tides along the Louisiana coast and Lake Pontchartrain were 5 to 6 feet above normal. Tides at Galveston reached 8.8 feet above normal, with the streets in the city covered with water to a depth of 2 to 3 feet or more and lower portions of city streets covered with 4 to 5 feet of water. Port O'Connor, TX, reported high tide of 13 feet. This hurricane was responsible for 287 deaths, with hundreds more lost on ships that either sunk or were reported missing at sea. Damage estimates were set at about $22 million.


1915 - Grand Isle Hurricane (Louisiana)
This devastating Category 4 hurricane moved over Grand Isle and into the Greater New Orleans, LA, area on September 29. Storm surges up to 12 feet ran ashore on the northern coast of Grand Isle and up to 13 feet at the west end of Lake Pontchartrain. The tide and swells topped the levees along the Mississippi River below New Orleans, and in places the tide was reported to be as much as 15 to 20 feet above sea level. Portions of New Orleans were inundated to a depth of up to 8 feet. In the town of Leeville, LA, 99 out of 100 buildings were destroyed. Despite warnings, many people in low lying areas refused to leave in advance of the storm, resulting in a death toll of 275. Damage was estimated at $13 million, with some villages 90% destroyed.


1915 - Hurricane (Texas)
This hurricane made landfall on August 17 just southwest of Galveston, TX, as a Category 4, bringing with it a storm surge of 16 feet. Storm tides of 12 feet inundated Galveston to a depth of 5 to 6 feet. A large portion of the property loss was the result of the high tides. High tides reached into Louisiana, with Cameron (called Leesburg at the time) reporting 11 feet, Grand Cheniere reporting 10 feet, and Marsh Island reporting 9.5 feet. Water was reported 6 feet deep across the city of Grand Isle. This hurricane was responsible for 275 deaths in total and property damage was estimated at $50 million.

1900s

1909 - Hurricane (Louisiana)
The center of this hurricane moved inland on September 20 near Grand Isle, LA, as a Category 3, bringing excessively high tides in some locations. The lowlands on the middle Gulf coast flooded to a depth of
2 to 10 feet. In New Orleans the back water in the river was 4 feet due to storm tide, and reports from the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain indicate that the rising tide and storm wave together made a total tide of 7 feet. This hurricane was responsible for an estimated 350 deaths, with damage estimates in the $5 million or more range.


1909 - Hurricane (Texas)
This hurricane made landfall on July 21 over Velasco (now part of Freeport), TX, as a Category 3. At Galveston, the Gulf rose to a height of 10 feet above normal, and to the west it rose still higher, submerging the entire western portion of Galveston Island and many miles of the mainland. At Velasco, the tide was reported 3 feet higher than during the great Galveston storm of 1900. This hurricane was responsible for 41 deaths, and total damage in Texas was estimated to exceed
$2 million.


1906 - Hurricane (Southeast Florida)
This hurricane came ashore over southeast Florida on October 18 as a Category 3, bringing very high water that, combined with the wind, caused serious destruction in the Florida Keys. This hurricane was responsible for 164 deaths, the majority of them laborers living on houseboats moored in the Keys that were washed out to sea and destroyed.


1906 - Hurricane (Mississippi, Alabama, Florida)
This hurricane made landfall in late September just west of Mobile, AL, as a Category 2, producing a storm surge in excess of 10 feet from Jackson County, MS, to the westernmost Florida peninsula. The storm tide
at the mouth of the Mississippi River was 6 feet or more. At Burwood, LA, the tide was more than 8 feet above mean Gulf level. In Pensacola, FL, at the height of the storm, the water rose 8.5 feet above the normal high water mark and the entire waterfront of Santa Rosa Island, FL, was inundated, with water reaching
10 to 12 feet deep in places. In Mobile, AL, high water was reported nearly 10 feet above mean tide level and most of the deaths in this area were due to drowning in the high tide. This hurricane was responsible for
134 deaths and damage was estimated to be several million dollars, with more than $2 million in damage in Pensacola, FL, alone.


1900 - Galveston Hurricane (Texas)
The Great Storm, also known as the Galveston Hurricane, came ashore on September 8 as a Category 4 hurricane, with winds in excess of 130 mph and a storm surge of 15 feet with additional waves on top of the surge. Water rose steadily for several hours before a storm wave 4 feet deep struck the already submerged Galveston Island with incredible force, entirely destroying the south, east, and west portions of the city for a distance of 2 to 5 blocks inland. Most of Galveston Island, the city of Galveston, and adjacent areas on the mainland were completely destroyed. When it was finally over, at least 3,500 homes and buildings were destroyed and an estimated 6,000 to 8,000 people were killed, with damage estimates exceeding $30 million. This hurricane led to the raising of Galveston's elevation and the building of a concrete seawall three miles long (now lengthened to over 10 miles) and 17 feet high to protect Galveston from such destruction in the future.

1800s

1899 - Hurricane (North Carolina, South Carolina)
This hurricane, after causing 3,369 deaths and incredible destruction in Puerto Rico, followed the eastern U.S. coastline from Jupiter, FL, northward, reaching it's greatest intensity (Category 3) in the region near Hatteras, NC, in mid-August. Tides along the coast of Charleston, SC, only reached 2.8 feet above normal, and timely hurricane warnings resulted in no casualties in that area. The Hatteras, NC, area was not as lucky, with the entire island covered by water from the Sound to a depth of
4 to 10 feet. The storm surge swept away all of the bridges and many of the houses. This hurricane was responsible for 50 deaths in the United States.


1898 - Hurricane (Florida, Georgia, South Carolina)
This hurricane came ashore between Jacksonville, FL, and Savannah, GA, as a Category 4 hurricane on October 2. Jacksonville received little damage, but Fernandina, FL, was nearly destroyed. Along the southern coast of Georgia, the storm surge flooded land, destroying crops and livestock. In Savannah, GA, buildings near the shore were flooded to a depth of several feet. Hutchinsons Island, opposite Savannah, was completely inundated to a depth of 4 to 8 feet, with the sea water stretching almost to Savannah. At Beaufort, SC, the water was in the streets. Campbell Island, near Darien, GA, was inundated, while Darien reported a tidal wave about 13 feet above mean high water mark and Sapelo Island, GA, reported about 18 feet. This hurricane caused 179 deaths and damage was estimated at around $2.5 million.


1893 - Charleston Hurricane (South Carolina)
The Charleston Hurricane made landfall on October 13 near Charleston, SC, as a Category 3. This hurricane caused damage in some of the same areas as the Sea Islands Hurricane just a month and a half before. The Charleston Hurricane then moved north-northeast into North Carolina. This hurricane was responsible for 28 deaths.


1893 - Cheniere Caminanda Hurricane (Louisiana)
The Category 4 hurricane advanced suddenly and unexpectedly over southeastern Louisiana, bringing a strong storm surge that flooded much of that region at the beginning of October. The area of greatest destruction was between New Orleans and Port Eads, where it was reported, "...the immense wave of water that swept over the devastated section engulfed and swept away everything in its path." In Mobile, AL, the inundation swept away many houses, with water levels 4 inches higher than the previous record. Over 1,500 lives were lost on the coast, mostly due to drowning, with that number reaching near 2,000 when including offshore losses. Damage estimates were in the range of $5 million.


1893 - Sea Islands Hurricane (South Carolina, Georgia)
The Sea Islands Hurricane was a Category 3 when it made landfall on August 27 near Savannah, GA. The hurricane brought a heavy storm surge of approximately 16 feet, causing great destruction along the coastline and leaving nearly every building along the barrier islands damaged beyond repair. The hurricane then moved north-northeast through South Carolina and into North Carolina. This hurricane was responsible for approximately 2,000 deaths, mostly from storm surge, with 20,000 to 30,000 people left homeless. Damage from the Sea Islands Hurricane was estimated to be at least $1 million.


1889 - Hurricane/Tropical Storm (off shore along the mid-Atlantic coast)
Although this tropical storm, downgraded from hurricane status during its course, didn't make landfall in the U.S., it still caused storm surge and flooding along and off the Atlantic coast from New England to North Carolina as it stalled near Hatteras, NC, in mid-September. In Atlantic City, NJ, the meadows along the waterfront of a portion of the city were inundated. In Lewes, DE, the life-saving station, located 40 feet above the high water mark, was flooded. Some areas were completely submerged and hundreds of residents had to evacuate. This tropical storm was responsible for at least 40 deaths.

Tropical Events 1980s

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception

1989 - Hurricane HugoHugo made U.S. landfall near Charleston on the South Carolina coast on September 21 as a Category 4 hurricane. A storm surge of 8 feet above the predicted normal astronomical tide height was reported in Charleston. As far north as Hatteras, NC, storm surge was reported at 4 feet above predicted tide. High water marks indicated the storm tide was 13 to 20 feet along various parts of the North and South Carolina coasts. Most major flood damage associated with Hugo was inflicted on coastal areas as a consequence of storm surges and not rainfall. Hurricane Hugo was responsible for 21 deaths and left a path of devastation in its wake with $7 billion in damages in the United States alone.


1985 - Hurricane Juan
Minimal Hurricane Juan made landfall near Morgan City, LA, and continued to spin erratically across south Louisiana at the end of October. Juan moved offshore again and made a second landfall just west of Pensacola, FL. Storm surge from Juan reached 8 feet at Cocodrie, LA, and Grand Isle was submerged under 4 feet of water. Hurricane Juan caused storm surge inundation of about 3 to 6 feet above normal along the Gulf coast to northwest Florida. East of the mouth of the Mississippi River, these water levels persisted for nearly five days. A total of 12 deaths were attributed to Hurricane Juan. Early damage estimates were up to $1.5 billion, with most of it related to flooding in southern Louisiana.


1985 - Hurricane Elena
Elena was a Category 3 hurricane and made landfall near Biloxi, MS, at the beginning of September. The maximum storm surge was 10 feet near Apalachicola, FL, with reports of 6 to 8 feet on Dauphin Island and along the Coastal areas near Pascagoula, MS. Hurricane Elena was responsible for 4 deaths, while damage was estimated at $1.25 billion.


1983 - Hurricane Alicia
Hurricane Alicia was the first hurricane to strike the continental U.S. since Hurricane Allen moved over south Texas in August 1980. Alicia was only minimal Category 3 hurricane status when it made landfall south of Galveston, TX, in mid-August, but brought storm tides ranging from 2 to 9 feet along the Texas coast, with 10 to 12 feet along upper Galveston Bay. Despite it's smaller size, Alicia proved to be a costly hurricane, with a total damage estimates of up to $2 billion, and it caused 21 fatalities.


1980 - Hurricane Allen
Allen was a severe hurricane that moved inland near Brownsville, TX, over the least populated section of the Texas coast in early August. Storm surges along this area of the lower Texas coast are normally much lower than on the upper Texas coast, and resulted in surges from Hurricane Allen of only 8 to 12 feet instead of the 15 to 20 feet that would have been likely further north. There is no way of accurately estimating the maximum storm surge from Hurricane Allen since it occurred over the unpopulated section of Padre Island between Brownsville and Corpus Christi. While it was still a very strong hurricane, Allen's path and weakening just before making landfall resulted in only a fraction of the damage that had been feared. Hurricane Allen was directly responsible for 2 deaths, and total U.S. damage was estimated at $600 million.

Tropical Events 1970s

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception

1979 - Hurricane Frederic
Hurricane Frederic made landfall on September 13 at Dauphin Island, AL, and then crossed the coastline again near the Mississippi-Alabama border about an hour later. Frederic brought tides of 8 to 12 feet above normal from Mississippi to the Florida panhandle. Preliminary estimates of U.S. damage from Hurricane Frederic exceeded $2 billion, and 11 storm-related deaths have been attributed to Frederic.


1972 - Hurricane Agnes
Agnes made landfall June 19 near Cape San Blas on the Florida panhandle as a Category 1 hurricane, but affected areas north to New York. Storm tides of 6 to 7 feet above normal were observed at Apalachicola and Cedar Key, FL, and 3 to 5 feet above normal from Fort Myers to the Tampa Bay area, while devastating floods occurred from North Carolina to New York. Hurricane Agnes was responsible for 122 deaths in the United States, most of those due to catastrophic flooding in New York and Pennsylvania, and damage estimates were $2.1 billion.


1970 - Hurricane Celia
Celia made landfall just north of Corpus Christi, Texas, in early August and became the most costly hurricane to date to strike the Texas Coast. As Celia approached land, it produced tides that inundated approximately 325,000 acres of the Texas coastal area. The highest tides were reported to be 11.4 feet above mean sea level in Aransas Pass and 9.2 feet above mean sea level on the beach at Port Aransas. Essentially, the entire town of Port Aransas was flooded by the tide. The tide at Corpus Christi ranged from 3.9 to 5.6 feet above mean sea level. Above normal tides were experienced as far east as Galveston, with a tide of 4 feet above mean sea level. Tides at other locations near the path of the hurricane ranged from 3 to 8 feet above mean sea level. Damages from Hurricane Celia were estimated at more than $467 million, and Celia left 13 people dead and thousands homeless.

Tropical Events 1960s

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception

1969 - Hurricane CamilleCamille moved inland in mid-August as a Category 5 hurricane just east of Bay St. Louis, MS, and was one of the most intense storms in recorded North Atlantic tropical cyclone history to that point. An unprecedented storm surge of 25 feet crashed into the Mississippi Coast, inundating everything within two miles of the beach from Henderson Point to Biloxi. Tides ran 15 to 32 feet above normal just east of the storm's center and 3 to 5 feet above normal as far east as Apalachicola, FL. Along the coasts of southeastern Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, 5,238 homes were destroyed. Northerly winds pushed a massive surge of water through the marshes, over both east and west bank Mississippi River levees, destroying almost everything along its path. The final death count for the U.S. was listed at 256, including 143 on the Gulf coast, with damage estimates exceeding $1.4 billion along the Mississippi and Louisiana Gulf Coasts.


1966 - Hurricane Alma
In early June, after causing serious damage and fatalities in Cuba, Hurricane Alma caused more than $300,000 in damage in the Florida Keys, without making landfall there. Alma then proceeded north nearly parallel with the western coast of Florida to make landfall on June 9 in the Apalachee Bay area. Tides on Florida's west coast ranged up to 10 feet above normal, and a large portion of Cedar Key was inundated. Alma was responsible for 6 deaths and more than $10 million in damage in the United States.


1965 - Hurricane Betsy
Betsy was a Category 3 hurricane when it made landfall in southern Florida on September 8, bringing storm tides of up to 6 to 10 feet above normal between Fort Lauderdale and Key Largo. High winds, tidal flooding, and beach erosion caused substantial damage along the lower Florida east coast. Hurricane Betsy continued across the Gulf of Mexico and approached the U.S. Gulf coast, with the storm surge pushing up the Mississippi River and into Lake Pontchartrain. A storm surge of 10 feet caused New Orleans to suffer its worst flooding since the hurricane of 1947, while tides of 10 to 12 feet affected much of the Gulf coast from Louisiana to Alabama. Betsy claimed
81 lives and caused $1.4 billion in damages, making it the first U.S. hurricane to inflict billion-dollar damage.


1964 - Hurricane Hilda
Hilda made landfall in early October on the central Louisiana coast as a Category 3 hurricane, bringing tides of 2 to 6 feet above mean sea level from Apalachicola, FL, to the upper Texas coast. The highest reported tide was 10 feet at Atchafalaya Bay on the central Louisiana coast. A preliminary estimate set damages in the $100 million range. Hurricane Hilda was responsible for 38 deaths – a total that could have been much higher if not for the extensive evacuations.


1964 - Hurricane Dora
Hurricane Dora was the first storm of full hurricane intensity to cross the northeast Florida coastline since records began in 1885. Dora made landfall on September 10 over St. Augustine, bringing tides of 12 feet to that area and up to 10 feet in other areas north of Daytona Beach. Tides on the Gulf coast of Florida were reported to reach 6 feet above normal. The resulting damage was estimated to be about $250 million, with some communities isolated for days by the flooding. Hurricane Dora was also responsible for 1 death.


1961 - Hurricane Carla
Carla was a Category 4 hurricane that made landfall on September 11 near Port O'Connor, TX, between Houston and Corpus Christi, although Carla's effects were felt by all of the Gulf Coast states. Tides of more than 10 feet above mean sea level were estimated along the coast from Port Aransas to Sabine Pass, TX. The highest tide reported was 18.5 feet at Port Lavaca. Hurricane Carla was responsible for 46 deaths and damage estimates were set at $408 million. Carla was severe, but loss of life was held to a minimum by timely information and well-planned evacuations.


1960 - Hurricane Donna
Donna came ashore on September 10 over the Florida Keys as a Category 4 hurricane. Donna brought storm surge of as much as 13 feet above normal in the Keys and generally 8 to 12 feet to the northeast and southwest of the hurricane's track, destroying or severely damaging 75% of the buildings along a 35-mile strip of the Keys. On the southwestern Florida coast, the storm surge was up to 11 feet above normal as far north as Naples. Hurricane Donna moved into the Gulf of Mexico before passing inland again at Ft. Myers. High tides in this area were estimated to be 4 to 7 feet above normal. Donna moved out into the Atlantic, but made landfall again between Wilmington and Morehead City, NC.

Tides of 6 to 8 feet above normal along the North Carolina and Virginia coasts, with waves reported from 15 to 20 feet, caused severe damage. Tides reached 7 feet above normal at Norfolk, VA. Donna moved back offshore again near the Virginia/Maryland line. Storm surge of
4 to 6 feet swept along the Maryland and Delaware coasts as Donna moved back offshore. Hurricane Donna continued up the eastern coast of the U.S. and made landfall again over New York and New England, with tides of 6 feet above normal near Atlantic City, NJ, and Long Island, NY, and 5 to 10 feet above normal along the southern New England coast. Despite the considerable damage in the area, the storm surge arrived on the New England coast at the time of normal low tide, saving that area from even worse destruction. Despite the storm's severity, preparations and evacuations kept fatalities and injuries from Hurricane Donna relatively low, with 50 U.S. deaths attributed to the storm. U.S. damage was estimated at $387 million.

Tropical Events 1950s

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception


1959 - Hurricane Gracie
Gracie made landfall near Beaufort, SC, at the end of September as a Category 3 hurricane. The storm came ashore at low tide, limiting the impact of the storm surge, but the surge still produced an impressive rise in water. The tide level peaked close to 10 feet above mean lower low water level on Charleston Harbor as Gracie pushed the storm surge into the coast. Even at low tide, Hurricane Gracie easily produced coastal flooding, including 1 to 2 feet of salt water in parts of Charleston. Landfall at high tide could have pushed salt water to catastrophic flooding levels along the South Carolina coast. Loss of life was kept to a minimum by effective advance evacuation, but an estimated 10 deaths were directly attributed to Hurricane Gracie. A report filed from the Weather Bureau in Charleston, SC, at the time described damage as "...widespread and extensive, estimated to be 5 to 10 million dollars and perhaps more."


1957 - Hurricane Audrey
      Audrey made landfall in late June as a Category 4 hurricane near the Texas-Louisiana border. Audrey brought a storm surge in excess of 12 feet, which inundated the flat coast of southwestern Louisiana as far as 25 miles inland in some places. Waves on top of the surge were 4 to 5 feet, with a few peaks possibly reaching 8 to 10 feet. Entire communities in the tidal region of Louisiana were demolished. In the Cameron to Gran Cheniere area, 60 to 80% of the houses were destroyed or floated off their foundations. At least 416 deaths were associated with Audrey, with nearly all those deaths coming as a result of the storm surge. Estimates of property damage were in the range of $150 to 200 million.


1956 - Hurricane Flossy
Hurricane Flossy crossed the Mississippi delta a little north of Burrwood, LA, in late September. The hurricane completely submerged Grand Isle with its storm surge and advanced on the Greater New Orleans area. Hurricane Flossy then continued on, with the center passing a little south of Pensacola, FL, bringing storm tide of 7.4 feet mean sea level at Laguna Beach, FL. Flossy became extratropical shortly after the center passed out of Florida, but continued to move northeastward inside the U.S. coastline as a strong storm until it passed out to sea near the Virginia Capes. Tides flooded portions of Norfolk, VA, and water stood 2.5 feet deep in several streets. Beach erosion occurred as far north as Delaware. Hurricane Flossy was responsible for 15 deaths, with damage estimates set just short of $25 million.


1955 - Hurricane Connie
Connie made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane on the North Carolina coast near Morehead City in mid-August. Tides along the North Carolina coast were as much as 7 feet above normal from Southport to Nags Head, and 5 to 8 feet above normal in the sounds at the mouths of the rivers. Total damage in North Carolina was estimated at $40 million. Hurricane Connie was responsible for 25 deaths.


1954 - Hurricane Hazel
Hazel made landfall near the North Carolina/South Carolina border as a Category 4 hurricane on October 15. The North and South Carolina beaches suffered serious devastation, with beach resorts along the coast destroyed. Every pier along a distance of 170 miles of coastline was demolished and whole lines of beach homes were wiped away. In some places the tide was over 17 feet higher than mean low water. As Hurricane Hazel continued up the eastern seaboard, damage was extensive as tides around the Maryland portion of the Chesapeake Bay reached 2 to 6 feet above sea level and high tides in Baltimore, MD, flooded the streets. The Potomac River rose to 5.4 feet above mean sea level at Dahlgren and Colonial Beach, VA. The Potomac River at Alexandria rose to 7.5 feet and the river reclaimed several blocks of the city. Hurricane Hazel caused a total of 95 deaths in the U.S. and an estimated $281 million in damages.


1954 - Hurricane Carol
Hurricane Carol brushed Cape Hatteras, NC, and proceeded past Norfolk, VA, finally making landfall on August 31 on eastern Long Island, NY, and southeastern Connecticut as a Category 3 hurricane. Carol arrived shortly after high tide, causing widespread tidal flooding. Storm surge levels were 5 to 8 feet across the west shore of Connecticut and 10 to 15 feet from the New London, CT, area eastward. Narragansett Bay and New Bedford Harbor saw surges of over 14 feet in the upper reaches of both waterways. Coastal communities from central Connecticut eastward were devastated, and entire coastal communities were nearly wiped out in New London, Groton, and Mystic, CT, as well as from Westerly to Narragansett, RI. Downtown Providence, RI, was flooded under 12 feet of water. Hurricane Carol destroyed nearly 4,000 homes and was responsible for 60 deaths, with an estimated $461 million in damages.

Tropical Events 1940s

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception


1949 - Hurricane (Texas)
This hurricane's center made landfall near Freeport, TX, in early October. High tides were reported in Velasco at 11 feet and in Matagorda at 8 feet. High tides in Anahuac were 9 feet and in Harrisburg (in the Houston Ship Channel) at 11.4 feet. Two lives were lost in this hurricane and total damage reported amounted to $6.7 million.


1947 - Severe Hurricane (Florida, Georgia, South Carolina)
This hurricane made landfall in mid-October at the extreme southern portion of the Florida Peninsula, but didn't cause much damage until it reached the east coast between Miami and Palm Beach. The center moved offshore, but made landfall again just south of Savannah, GA, where the worst part of the hurricane was experienced. High tides along the Georgia and South Carolina coasts ranged from
12 feet above mean low tide at Savannah Beach, GA, and Parris Island, SC, to 9 feet at Charleston, SC, and 9.6 feet at St. Simons Island near Brunswick, GA. The lower portions of Charleston were flooded, while some small communities as far north as Cape Hatteras were partly or wholly inundated by tides. This hurricane was responsible for one death and damage estimates were more than $2.5 million.


1947 - Major Hurricane (Mississippi Gulf Coast, New Orleans)
This hurricane made landfall in mid-September as a Category 4 on the southeast coast of Florida, with the most destructive portion of the storm passing inland between Miami and Palm Beach. The storm moved across Florida and out into the Gulf a short distance north of Naples. Everglades City was inundated by tidewater, which rose 5.5 feet above normal. This hurricane then made landfall again as a Category 3 on the Mississippi and Louisiana coasts, bringing a highest tide of 14 feet above normal high tide at Chandeleur Island on the eastern tip of Louisiana. Tides along the Mississippi coast rose to 12 feet at Biloxi, Bay St. Louis, and Gulfport, and to about 9 feet at Pascagoula, MS, and in the Lake Catherine-Chef Menteur area of Louisiana. A storm surge of 16 feet occurred in the Slidell
area of Lake Pontchartrain, while most of downtown New Orleans was flooded extensively due to tidal surges from Lake Pontchartrain. In Mississippi and Louisiana, it was estimated that 90% of the damage was caused by water. This hurricane was responsible for 51 deaths and total damage in 1990 dollars was more than $700 million.


1945 - Hurricane (Texas)
The center of this hurricane moved inland near Port Aransas, TX, in late August. The slow movement of this storm's center, combined with winds estimated as high as 135 mph in some locations, built up high tides reaching as high as 15 feet at Port Lavaca, TX, and 4 to 8 feet along other portions of the Texas Gulf coast. This hurricane was responsible for 3 deaths, but further loss of life was prevented by the evacuation of thousands of people from low-lying areas and from buildings not expected to survive the storm. Total damage was in excess of $20 million.


1944 - Severe Florida-Cuba Hurricane
The Florida-Cuba Hurricane came ashore in mid-October over Dade City and Ocala, FL, and passed back out to sea south of Jacksonville. The hurricane again moved inland just north of Savannah, GA, passing through South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia. Damage from high tides was most severe along the Florida west coast, between Sarasota and Everglades, with heaviest losses reported along the beaches near Fort Myers. The highest tide reported was 12.28 feet above mean low tide at Jacksonville Beach, FL. This hurricane was responsible for 18 deaths in Florida, with property damage estimates of over $100 million, of which $63 million was estimated for Florida alone.


1942 - Hurricane (Texas)
The hurricane's center moved onto the Texas coast on August 30 over Matagorda Bay, bringing storm tides along the coast from Matagorda to southwestern Louisiana. The highest tide reported was 14.7 feet at Matagorda, TX, which placed the entire town under 4 to 8 feet of water. High tides and waves proved to be very destructive during this storm, with property losses estimated at over $11 million and crop losses at $15 million. Fortunately, due to extensive evacuations, only 8 lives were lost.


1940 - Hurricane (Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina)
This storm crossed the coast near Beaufort, SC, on August 11, passing just north of Savannah, GA, as a Category 2 hurricane. Tides were very high north of Beaufort, with Charleston, SC, reporting 10.7 feet above mean low tide. Property damage was estimated at several million dollars, with an estimated $3 million in damage just along the coast. An estimated 50 deaths were due to the hurricane.

Tropical Events 1930s

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception

1938 - The Great New England Hurricane or The Long Island ExpressThe Long Island Express was a fast-moving Category 3 hurricane that struck Long Island and New England with little warning on September 21. The center made landfall at the time of astronomical high tide, bringing a storm surge of 10 to 12 feet (storm tide of 14 to 18 feet). This surge inundated the coasts of Rhode Island, Connecticut, southeastern Massachusetts, and Long Island, NY. The area from New London to Cape Cod saw tides of 18 to 25 feet. Narragansett Bay reported a maximum surge of almost 14 feet (storm tide of 19 feet), while downtown Providence, RI, was submerged under a storm tide of nearly 20 feet. Sections of Falmouth and New Bedford, MA, were submerged under as much as 8 feet of water. Even Sandy Hook, NJ, reported tide of 8.2 feet above mean low water. Deaths from the hurricane were reported at 564, with 8,900 homes destroyed and another 15,000 damaged, while damage estimates were set at $308 million.


1936 - Hurricane (North Carolina, Virginia)
This hurricane reached Category 3 status while threatening coastal North Carolina and Virginia, brushing
the Nags Head-Corolla area and passing within 25 miles of Virginia Beach, in mid-September. Tide levels
at Sewells Point, VA, were pushed to 9.3 feet above mean lower low water, and downtown Norfolk was severely flooded. Because of advanced warning, only 1 person was killed in this hurricane.


1935 - Labor Day Hurricane (Southern Florida/Florida Keys)
The Labor Day Hurricane was a Category 5 when it hit the Florida Keys on September 3, bringing a storm surge of 18 to 20 feet. This very compact hurricane forged a path of near complete destruction, with much
of the damage caused by the overwhelming depth and strong flow of the storm tide that piled up on the Keys. The storm surge was described in reports as a "wall of water" in regard to how fast the water rose. The Labor Day Hurricane caused more than $6 million in damage, including the destruction of the Florida East Coast Railroad tracks and an 11-car train. The Labor Day Hurricane was responsible for 423 deaths.


1933 - Hurricane (North Carolina, Virginia)
This hurricane made landfall on September 16 in the Cape Lookout, NC, area at a Category 3 intensity, bringing tides in the western Pamlico Sound of 10 feet above mean lower low water, severely flooding the area. The hurricane then made a turn more to the north-northeast, moving into the Atlantic near Corolla, NC, on the Virginia-North Carolina border. Tides at Sewells Point, VA, crested at 8.3 feet above mean lower low water. Much damage was seen from south of New Bern, NC, to the Virginia Capes, with water reaching a height of 3 to 4 feet in some of New Bern's streets. The intensity and direction of the winds as the hurricane moved back out to sea resulted in "blow-out" tides along the north shore of the Albemarle Sound from Elizabeth City, NC, westward, resulting in the lowest tides ever recorded for the northern banks of the Albemarle Sound. According to reports, 21 lives were lost due to this hurricane.


1933 - Chesapeake-Potomac Hurricane (North Carolina, Virginia, Washington DC)
The Chesapeake-Potomac Hurricane made landfall in the Nags Head, NC, area on August 23, moving across South Norfolk (northern Chesapeake) as a minimal Category 2 hurricane in terms of storm surge and central pressure (winds only reached the level of a Category 1 hurricane). Tides at Sewells Point, VA, reached a full 9.8 feet above mean lower low water. Downtown Norfolk and Portsmouth, VA, recorded tide levels of 9.0 and 9.3 feet above mean lower low water respectively, flooding the downtown business section of Norfolk. A large portion of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries showed tide levels of 6 to 9 feet above mean lower low water, while the tidal Potomac River crested at 12 feet above mean lower low water, severely flooding Alexandria, VA, and Washington, DC. This hurricane was responsible for 18 deaths, and damage was estimated to be more than $17 million, with most of that due to high tides.

The photographer of Auschwitz

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception


These chilling images of a young Jewish girl at Auschwitz are among thousands that have haunted a Nazi photographer all his life.

Wilhelm Brasse was forced to take photographs of frightened children and victims of gruesome medical experiments moments before  their death at the extermination camp where approximately 1.5million people, mostly Jewish died in the Holocaust.

Mr Brasse, who died this week aged 94, relived those horrors from inside Auschwitz but has been considered a hero after he risked his life to preserve the harrowing photographs, which later helped convict the Nazi monsters who commissioned the photographs.

Frightened victims: Wilhelm Brasse took some 40,000-50,000 photographs inside Aushwitz for the Nazis including these shots of Czeslawa Kwoka after she was beaten by a guard

Haunting: The identity photographs of an Auschwitz inmate that Brasse took as part of the Nazi German effort to document their activities at the camp

Harsh truth: Polish inmate Brasse was among many put to work capturing such images

 

Distressing: Brasse was given the job of taking pictures for the Nazis because he had been a professional photographer before the war

After the war, Mr Brasse tried to return to photography but was too traumatized.
He said: ‘When I started taking pictures again, I saw the dead. I would be standing taking a photograph of a young girl for her portrait but behind her I would see them like ghosts standing there. 'I saw all those big eyes, terrified, staring at me. I could not go on.’
He never picked up a camera again. Instead, he set up a business making sausage casings and lived a modestly prosperous life.

Before the war, Mr Brasse trained as a portrait photographer in a studio owned by his aunt in the Polish town of Katowice. He had an eye for the telling image and an ability to put his subjects at ease but his peaceful, prosperous existence was shattered with the Nazi invasion of Poland in September 1939.

He was the son of a German father and Polish mother.

Too traumatic: Mr Brasse never picked up a camera again after the war because when he picked up a camera he 'saw the dead'

He said: ‘When the Germans came, they wanted me to join them and say I was loyal to the Reich, but I refused. I felt Polish and I was Polish. It was my mother who instilled this in us.’

Considering the Nazis’ capacity for brutality, it was an extraordinarily brave thing for 22-year-old Mr Brasse to do.

After several Gestapo interrogations he tried to flee to Hungary but was caught at the border. He was imprisoned for four months and then offered another chance to declare his loyalty to Hitler.

He said: ‘They wanted me to join the German army and promised everything would be OK for me if I did.’ Again he refused and on August 31, 1940 he was placed on a train for the newly opened concentration camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau.

In February 1941, he was summoned to the camp commander’s office, the notoriously brutal Rudolf Höss, who would later be hanged for his crimes.

Mr Brasse was certain that this was the end but when he arrived he discovered that the SS was looking for photographers.

There followed what must have been a bizarre and terrifying experience. The assembled men were tested on their photographic skills.

Each must have known failure would mean a return to hard labour and death.
He said: ‘We were five people. They went through everything with us - the laboratory skills and the technical ability with a camera. I had the skills as well as being able to speak German, so I was chosen.’

The Nazis wanted documentation of their prisoners. The Reich was obsessed with bureaucratic records and setup ‘Erkennungsdienst,’ the photographic identification unit. Based in the camp, it included cameramen, darkroom technicians and designers.

Extermination: Some 1.5million people, mostly Jews, were killed at Auschwitz during WWII

He said: ‘The conditions for me were so much better then. The food and warmth were heavenly.’

Soon began a daily parade of the doomed in this makeshift photographic studio. Each day he took so many pictures that another team of prisoners was assembled to develop the pictures.

The photographer estimates that he personally must have taken between 40,000 and 50,000 portraits.

One day, a prisoner was sent to him because one of the camp doctors, the infamous Nazi Dr Josef Mengele, wanted a photograph of the man’s unusual tattoo.
He said: ‘It was quite beautiful. It was a tattoo of Adam and Eve standing before the Tree in the Garden of Eden, and it had obviously been done by a skilled artist.’

About an hour after taking the photograph, he learned that the man had been killed. He was called by another prisoner to come to one of the camp crematoria where he saw the dead man had been skinned.

 

Unsettling portrait: Brasse took this photo of SS officer Fremel Rudolf with his wife and son in exchange for extra food

Jailer: SS officer Maximilian Grabner was also captured on film by prisoner Brasse in the photography department at Auschwitz

Mr Brasse said: ‘The skin with the tattoo was stretched on a table waiting to be framed for this doctor. It was a horrible, horrible sight.’

 

‘Mengele liked my photographs and said he wanted me to photograph some of those he was experimenting on.‘The first group were Jewish girls. They were ordered to strip naked. They were aged 15 to 17 years and were looked after by these two Polish nurses. 'They were very shy and frightened because there were men watching them. I tried my best to calm them.’

Mr Brasse and another inmate managed to bury thousands of negatives in the camp's grounds which were later recovered.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2224026/The-photographer-Auschwitz-Man-forced-chilling-images-Jewish-prisoners-haunted-death-94.html#ixzz2Actof1Eg