hurricane carla

Hurricane Carla, a Category 5 at peak intensity, was one of the most powerful storms to ever strike the United States. Carla struck the Texas coast as a Category 4 hurricane during the 1961 Atlantic hurricane season. The storm remains the strongest to strike the Texas coastline. Carla developed in the western Caribbean Sea in early September. After skimming the Yucatan Peninsula as a weak hurricane, it entered the Gulf of Mexico and headed for the U.S. Gulf Coast. Carla was a very strong Category 4 and unusually large hurricane. It made landfall near Port O'Connor, Texas on Monday, September 11, 1961, causing a 22 foot (6.7 m) storm surge. However, because of its large size, the entire Texas coast was affected, and damage was reported as far inland as Dallas. Much of the damage was done well away from the landfall site, as Carla spawned one of the largest hurricane-related tornado outbreaks on record. One F4 tornado ripped through downtown Galveston, killing several (sources differ on the exact number, varying from 6 to 12). Outside the protection of the Galveston Seawall, structures on the island were severely damaged by storm surge. Damage was reported as far east as the Mississippi River delta. As Carla weakened, it dropped heavy rain in the Midwest. Carla killed 43 people, 31 in Texas. The low death toll is credited to what was then the largest peacetime evacuation in US history. One half million residents headed inland from exposed coastal areas. The storm also marked the first live television broadcast of a hurricane. Then little-known newsman Dan Rather reported live from the Galveston Seawall during the storm, an act that would be imitated by later reporters.

Hurricane Carla

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