Courtesy Photo | Control Houses with gate lowered on the harbor side of Stamford Harbor, Stamford...... read more read more
On August 25 of this year, the New England District will observe the 70th anniversary of Hurricanes Carol and Edna making landfall in New England. These deadly hurricanes were two of the costliest storms in New England History and served as a catalyst for the legislation that allowed the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to build the New England Hurricane Barriers that continue to protect its citizens to this day.
Hurricane Carol made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane with windspeeds upwards of 120 miles per hour. After making landfall in Long Island, New York, it traveled to New England via the west shore of Connecticut bringing storm surges up to 8 feet and barreled through Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Connecticut coastal communities were devasted and some were nearly wiped out in New London, Groton and Mystic. Rhode Island communities from Westerly to Narragansett were almost destroyed. Downtown Providence was under 12 feet of water. In Massachusetts, Carol’s fury was widespread. Over 20,000 Cape Cod residents were evacuated just before the storm hit the Commonwealth. New Bedford’s fishing fleet and other coastal businesses sustained heavy damage. High winds destroyed the spire of the Old North Church in Concord. Thousands of people were left homeless. When Carol finally left New England, 65 people lost their lives and property damage totaled in the billions.
New Englanders were still cleaning up from Carol when Hurricane Edna slammed the region on September 11, just a couple of weeks later. Also a Category 3 Hurricane, Edna’s wind speed of up to 120 miles per hour and six-foot storm surge on Cape Cod and in Maine caused extensive flooding and property damage. Edna claimed 21 New England lives.
The two hurricanes brought awareness to the vulnerabilities of coastal areas, and in response to the destruction they caused, the 84th Congress established Public Law 71 on June 15, 1955, that authorized the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to study the problem and come up with a solution. As a result, the New England District proposed building hurricane barriers throughout New England. In the end, five of the 14 proposed projects were authorized and funded. Those were the hurricane barriers in Providence, Rhode Island; New Bedford, Massachusetts; and in Pawcatuck, New London and Stamford, Connecticut. The New England District constructed all the barriers, turning over Pawcatuck, New London in Connecticut and Fox Point in Providence, Rhode Island over to the cities to maintain. The New England District resumed operations and maintenance of Fox Point in 2009.
Construction on the Fox Point Hurricane Barrier was completed in January 1966 at a cost of $15 million. The project provides virtually complete protection against tidal flooding from hurricanes and other coastal storms to about 280 acres of downtown Providence. Since its construction, Fox Point has prevented $4.7 million in damages since 2009.
The New Bedford Hurricane Barrier was also completed in January 1996 at a cost of $18.6 million. The project protects about 1,400 acres in New Bedford, Fairhaven and Acushnet from tidal flooding that can be caused by hurricanes and costal storms. As of 2013, New Bedford has prevented $44.8 million in damages.
Work on the Stamford Hurricane Barrier was completed in 1969 at a cost of $14.5 million. The barrier provides protection to about 600 acres, which includes principal manufacturing plants, a portion of the main commercial district and residential sections. Damages amounting to $83.1 million have been prevented to date.
Since the barriers have been put in place, nearly 40 hurricanes, almost 30 tropical storms and many other costal storms have come up the New England coastline. The barriers have stood against the high tides, protecting the people who live behind them for decades and will continue to do so well into the future.
| Date Taken: | 08.25.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 08.27.2024 11:17 |
| Story ID: | 479513 |
| Location: | CONCORD, MASSACHUSETTS, US |
| Web Views: | 284 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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