Truth be told, Georgia is fairly lucky when it comes to hurricanes. I use the term lucky loosely, because there still has been considerable damaged done by these monster storms in the past. However, for some reason, Georgia never seems to get the brunt of the storm. Why, you ask? There is a scientific explanation, believe it or not. Georgia has a curved coastline, which makes it much harder to attract a direct hit. Not to mention, our state has fewer miles of coast than neighboring states of Florida or South Carolina, both of which have endured their share of Atlantic hurricanes.
However, there was a storm, deadly and catastrophic, that hit our great state over a century ago. The 1898 Georgia Hurricane (at this point hurricanes were not being named) was the strongest hurricane on record in the state. It was a storm that would never be forgotten.
It was the last Category 4 storm to make landfall, which resulted in 179 deaths.
Wikipedia
The amount of rainfall that fell in certain areas was devastating.
Wikipedia
The rainfall resulted in a massive storm surge of flooding up to 16 feet in Brunswick.
Wikipedia
Cumberland Island saw winds of up to 135mph when the hurricane made landfall.
Flickr Debbie
For the very first time in history, communications were cut between Jacksonville and other northern cities, like New York.
Flickr urbanfeel
A majority of the anchored boats were either sunk, or washed up inland against the marshes.
Flickr damian entwistle
Parts of the Savannah River rose up to over 8 feet higher than usual.
Flickr Kevin Oliver
According to the Savannah Weather Bureau office, over 60,000 bushels of rice were destroyed.
Flickr NH53
The overall damage from the storm totaled over 1 million USD in 1898, which with inflation, would be around $28,571,428.57 in 2015.
Flickr maf04
Quite a doozy, I’m afraid. Did you have any family members who lived through this storm?
Wikipedia
Flickr Debbie
Flickr urbanfeel
Flickr damian entwistle
Flickr Kevin Oliver
Flickr NH53
Flickr maf04
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