Hurricane Hazel: Canada's Storm of the Century

Janet Arnett is the former campus manager of adult education at Ontario’s Georgian College. She is the author of Antiques and Collectibles: Starting Small, The Grange at Knock, and 673 Ways to Save Money.

Short. Sharp. Focused. Gifford did his research, organized the
information, accessed archival photos, and pulled it all together into a
dramatic history of Ontario’s big storm.

It happened 50 years ago. A hurricane formed off the west coast of
Africa, roared across the Atlantic into the Caribbean, and headed north.
The typical hurricane route. Only this time the storm wasn’t satisfied
with battering storm-weary Haiti, Myrtle Beach, West Virginia, and the
Carolinas. It pushed north through New York State—even the Allegheny
mountains couldn’t deflect it—and hit Toronto like a sledgehammer.

The scope of the destruction far exceeded anything Ontario had
previously experienced. Eighty-one deaths and $25 million in property
damage were the result of the worst flooding in Ontario in two
centuries.

Gifford’s text is clear, clean, and fast paced. He looks at the pre-,
during, and post-storm city, using the experiences of homeowners,
children, firefighters, police, and military to contribute different
perspectives. He gives details and plenty of specifics, but keeps
moving.

Gifford selected approximately 100 photos of the storm for inclusion in
the book. The cumulative impact of studying these is incredibly
powerful. They dramatically present the power of the storm and lay out
for viewing the otherwise unimaginable destruction.

Hazel has been described and documented over the years since 1954 in
various periodicals and publications. Nonetheless, this commemorative at
the half-century mark makes a significant contribution by giving
convenient and approachable access to a unique historic event.