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Monadnock Moment No. 165Era 8: Great Depression & World War II - 1763 to 1945The Hurricane of 1938In mid September of 1938 a strong hurricane worked its way up the Atlantic coast. The storm did not veer off over the ocean, however, as is typical for such storms. Taking the path of least resistance, the storm rushed northward into an area of low pressure in the Connecticut River Valley. At about 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday September 21, the hurricane struck Cheshire County. Suddenly, a southeast wind hit the region with frightening strength, toppling trees and chimneys. The wind continued unabated for an hour and a half, and decreased very little until after midnight. One woman in Nelson could not close the doors of her house against the wind. She sat cowering in the dark for hours as the wind rushed through her home. Local residents sat in fear throughout the night as trees snapped and small buildings flew through the air. Thursday morning was bright and sunny, but the combined damage of the wind and more than six inches of rain was unbelievable. The streets of Keene were flooded or jammed with fallen trees. Travel was impossible and all lines of communication were severed. Two thousand shade trees had toppled and the forests in the city's parks were blown flat. Several homes and businesses received extensive damage. Cars were crushed, steeples toppled, roofs blown off, and 300 people evacuated from their homes. Hundreds of workers struggled for days to clear the streets and repair the telephone and electric lines. Keene suffered $1,000,000 in damages. The scene was the same throughout the County. Despite the unbelievable damage, not one local resident was seriously injured by the famous hurricane of 1938. |
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