1954: Hurricane Carol Batters Long Island

On August 31, 1954, Hurricane Carol, the season’s third hurricane, battered Long Island. Winds reaching 100 miles per hour tore through both Nassau and Suffolk Counties, causing $3 million worth of damage. Basements flooded, thousands of trees were uprooted, boats capsized and sunk, and chimneys blew down. Some 275,000 homes lost electricity, and eastern Suffolk lost telephone service. Service was disrupted on the Long Island Rail Road and ferry service between Bay Shore and Fire Island was suspended. Communities on both the north and south shores were evacuated, including the beachfront areas from Westhampton Beach to Montauk Point. At Jones Beach, the boardwalks flooded and the Marine Stadium suffered substantial damage. At Mitchel Field in Garden City, the Air Force tied down planes or rolled them into hangars. Yet no deaths or injuries were reported. Sunrise Highway near Babylon is shown here in a photo taken on August 31, 1954.