Overview
The Hurricane of 1938 was one of the most destructive natural disasters to hit the New England. The storm, which began at the coast of Africa, grew to a Category 5 storm at its height before reaching the New England coast as a Category 3 hurricane.
The deadly extreme winds and the flooding that followed knocked down an estimated 2 billion trees and destroyed thousands of miles of power lines. The natural disaster is said to have cost an estimated $308 million in damage and destroyed 4,500 homes and damaged an additional 25,000. Nearly 700 people were killed, and the hurricane remains the most disastrous hurricanes in the history of New England.
The hurricane’s immediate effects last for four hours on the College campus. Winds sweep through campus at over 70 miles per hour. Cars are destroyed by falling trees, and multiple buildings sustain window, roof, and porch damage. Afterwards, willing Amherst students come together form a volunteer corps to help undo damage and clean the debris left behind. All varsity athletics are postponed in order to work on cleaning and repairing athletic buildings. Some students volunteer to help clear flooded areas near the Connecticut River, while others work to clear fraternity property from the debris left behind.
Classes are postponed as students rush to aid in providing relief. The gym is turned into a headquarter for refuges, and several other buildings are used to provide food, clothing, and shelter for nearby residents. Some students acted as interpreters, while others volunteer to teach lessons to young children.
It takes months for the College to completely recover from the damages done by the hurricane. Professionals are brought in to renovate buildings and major landscaping work reforms campus. Hundreds of new trees are planted, signifying a new beginning for Amherst College.
Before the 1938 hurricane hit, the school and the rest of the New England area also sustained severe damage from a flood in 1936. This natural disaster came in three different waves, with the first two downpours being the most severe. The three downpours last for fourteen days and rainfall levels reach over 22.43 inches. 150,000 people are forced to evacuate from their homes and an estimated 200 people are killed, making it the most devastating flood in the Connecticut Valley at the time.
The Amherst Student reports about the multiple student injuries sustained, as well as how the College was used to house Hadley residents who had been evacuated from their homes, which they did again in 1938.
A few months later US President Franklin D Roosevelt signed the Flood Act of 1936, which commissioned many different civil engineering projects like dams and flood walls. Though two years later, the hurricane of 1938 would still cause extreme damage, this Act was thought to have prevented further destruction.
Timeline
To get a clearer understanding or to work through these details in a visual layout, see the TimeMapper timeline below. The timeline gives a more straightforward, in-depth look at the events that took place during the flood of 1936 and the hurricane of 1938. Follow along as we trace the impact of the floods from the very beginning signs of disaster to the last restoration projects that took place months after the hurricane ended.
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