Throughout the years, the area known today as Halton Hills - formerly Esquesing Township - has seen its fair share of storms, such as blizzards and rainfalls, but none have left as much of a historical impact and lasting legacy as Hurricane Hazel in October 1954.
Known as the deadliest and most intense hurricane of the 1954 Atlantic Hurricane season, the infamous Hurricane Hazel started out as a tropical storm 350 km east of Grenada on October 5, building up intensity as it entered the Caribbean Sea.
It was just after midnight on October 6 when the tropical storm was upgraded to hurricane status after hitting landfall on Grenada with strong gusts of up to 121 km/h, with the winds gradually increasing as the storm moved in a westerly direction towards the northern coast of Venezuela.
Four days later, it was reported that Hurricane Hazel had slowed in the central Caribbean and turned sharply to the north-northeast on the eventual path towards Haiti, which killed at least 469 Haitians on October 12 before hitting the United States eastern seaboard.
Weather forecasters had predicted that Hurricane Hazel would weaken with intensity as it moved over land, but that was not the case. Instead, as it made its way towards southern Ontario, the hurricane increased with power and brought with it heavy rain and strong winds, hitting Esquesing Township on the evening of October 15 and lingering into October 16.
In the communities of Acton and Georgetown, it was reported in local newspapers that residents were relatively unscathed from the storm, mostly dealing with flooded basements and localized power outages. Thankfully, there were no major injuries or deaths reported locally, but there were some inconveniences that were brought on by the storm.
As mentioned in the October 21st, 1954 edition of The Acton Free Press, Hurricane Hazel played a “dirty trick” on the Acton Town Hall as a downdraft went down the chimney and blew oily soot all over the council chamber, causing a few days of “elbow grease” to get the room and its furniture cleaned up for the next council meeting.
An area in Esquesing that experienced the greatest impact of the storm was along the Credit River, especially the village of Norval, which saw the water level swell over the banks and damage buildings that laid in the path of the rushing current, as was the case for the former Noble Grist Mill.
The grist mill, having sat vacant two years earlier (where the bridge for Highway 7 now stands), suffered severe damage to a corner of its foundation and was eventually demolished in 1961 with the widening of Highway 7.
After the hurricane had passed, the residents of Acton, Georgetown and surrounding communities turned their attention to sending aid to Toronto, an area that saw multiple deaths and homelessness due to extreme flooding.
Both The Acton Free Press and The Georgetown Herald reported on the “terrific response” that was shown by residents when it came to the donation of money, food and clothes for the impacted residents of Toronto. A combined total of over $4,000 was raised by the residents of Acton and Georgetown.
While 70 years has passed since Hurricane Hazel, it remains a historical weather event that reminds us of the force of nature and the importance of mitigating the impacts of intense storms through environmental conservation and flood prevention.
Article written by Scott Brooks, with information from Dills Collection/EHS/HHPL/Canadian Hurricane Centre.
