1856 Last Island Hurricane
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| Category 4 hurricane (SSHS) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Formed | August 9, 1856 (uncertain) | |
| Dissipated | August 12, 1856 | |
| Highest winds |
|
|
| Lowest pressure | 934 mbar (hPa) | |
| Damage | Unknown, likely extreme | |
| Fatalities | 200+ | |
| Areas affected |
Louisiana | |
| Part of the 1856 Atlantic hurricane season |
||
The Last Island hurricane of 1856 was an intense Atlantic hurricane best known for having destroyed Last Island in southern Louisiana.
According to modern estimates by the NOAA the storm was probably a Category 4 hurricane with central pressure of around 934 mb. It tied with Hurricane Hugo as the 10th most intense hurricane to hit the mainland United States.
Contents |
[edit] Effects on Last Island
Last Island, Louisiana was a popular resort for people seeking to escape the humidity, illness, and insects of southern Louisiana.
In the days leading up to August 10, vacationers noticed the sea churning and were mesmerized by the intensity and forms of the waves. Rev. Robert McAllister, a survivor, later wrote "Each breaker extended to the right and left as far as the eye, straining its vision, could reach... We did not know then as we did afterwards that the voice of those many waters was solemnly saying to us, 'Escape for thy life.'"
On August 9, people noticed a roaring noise out in the gulf, and cattle on the island walked back and forth nervously for hours. On August 10, the weather got worse with the skies turning black, and rain coming down in torrents. The hurricane swept over the island, and the storm lasted for two days.
A story later emerged, possibly a legend, that the resort guests attended a lavish ball at the hotel, as the hurricane's winds grew in intensity outside. When the storm broke with full force on the 10th, the doomed guests awaited for the Star, the steamer that serviced the island. However, the ship did not arrive in time. At 4 o'clock, the storm surge engulfed the entire island and destroyed all of the buildings, including the multi-story resort hotel. Certain versions of the tale say that the steamer did reach Last Island, but that it was too late. The pounding waves forced the ship aground, but some survivors managed to save themselves by climbing aboard the wreck.
At least 200 people were killed, and the island itself was split up into the Last Islands (Isles Dernieres). The island reportedly stayed submerged for several days before parts of it reemerged as nothing more than large sandbars. Following the storm surge, the remains of the Star was the only sign that an island had ever existed there. There were approximately 400 vacationers on the island, of which less than half survived.
[edit] Effects elsewhere
The city of New Orleans was inundated with 13.14 inches (334 mm) of rain. Every building in the town of Abbeville, Louisiana was destroyed. There was severe flooding throughout Plaquemines Parish.[citation needed]
[edit] Literature
Lafcadio_Hearn's "Chita" (1889) is based on the Last Island Hurricane of 1856.
