sfBirdie (Sarah)

thedailywhat:

From The Archives: The Frankenstorm of 1938: Be sure to note the music. From The Week:

In 1938, for instance, a category 3 hurricane left 600 people dead in New England. During that ferocious hurricane, also known as the Yankee Clipper and the Long Island Express, the Empire State Building reportedly swayed with wind gusts, and 60 people in New York City alone were killed, says Oren Yaniv at the New York Daily News. Unlike Sandy, 1938′s powerful storm came “without warning,” says History.com, and “was born out a tropical cyclone that developed in the eastern Atlantic.” 

In this strangely compelling historic video of the storm, winds whip New York City residents braving the streets, power lines throughout New England lean and dangle precariously, and flood waters crash into seaside homes, engulfing what looks like a trolley in one of the region’s cities.

[theweek]

The best book about this hurricane is “The Great Hurricane: 1938” by Cherie Burns. This is the storm that washed away the cottages on Napatree Point and made Watch Hill what it is today.

Additionally, there are many, many stories from Quonochontaug, including one about a house being uprooted and thrown across the street (and it stood there until being demolished in 2011). 

Having heard about this storm all of my life, I find it incredibly fascinating. The lack of communication meant no fair warning before the storm’s landfall. This created havoc, ruined property and claimed many lives.