Hurricane Frederic by George A
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NOVEMBER, 1979 Hurricane Frederic by George A. Powell Hurricanes with masculine names are a new phenomenon. swooped down on the site, taking windows and roofing and show- But their capacity to wreak havoc and leave death and destruction ering debris into the auditorium, sending the occupants scurrying in their wake is unchanged. into adjacent hallways. Hardly had David sighed his deadly last after lashing the Carib- Stray animals were hurled hundreds of feet into the air and bean and Atlantic coasts with angry blasts than Hurricane Frederic blown along for miles. roared out of the Gulf of Mexico to make its September 12 ren- dezvous with the Florida, Alabama, and Mississippi coasts. The Aftermath— The storm roared until about 5 a.m. Thurs- Its approach struck fear in the hearts of millions. More than day. As the pale light of dawn filtered down, weary inhabitants, 1,000,000 long distance telephone calls were placed to or from filled with a melancholy blend of relief and fear, gazed out onto a Mobile in the 24 hours before the storm struck. scene that could have been extracted from a horror movie. Thousands fled the area, especially those living in low-lying "This is just like war, only shorter," said a woman from Israel. regions near the water, and sought shelter in safer places in the There was evidence of numerous tornadoes spinning out of the city. Some drove hundreds of miles inland to escape the storm's hurricane to splinter and mix trees in all directions as if a giant blast. The memory of Hurricane Camille was still vivid. eggbeater had passed through. Emergency preparations were in full swing by this time as gov- Damage estimates began to come in. Civil Defense officials set ernmental, religious, and charitable agencies united with indi- the loss figure for Mobile County alone at $1.25 billion, not includ- vidual initiative to brace for the onslaught and minimize the certain ing roads, bridges, and crops. Millions more in damages were tragedy ahead. sustained in Baldwin County and in the Pascagoula, But in the midst of the goodwill and cooperation that prevailed, and Pensacola, Florida, areas. sinister and self-serving behaviour began to reveal the darker side Agricultural losses in Mobile County were placed at $334 million. of human nature. As cars lined up at service stations to prepare for One farmer had 100 head of cattle that vanished during the storm. evacuation or to ensure limited mobility until the area could re- The pecan crop was virtually wiped out. cover from the storm, some owners hiked gasoline prices as high Fifty per cent of the 121-year-old Mobile City Hall was damaged, as $2 per gallon. possibly beyond repair. Certain food stores marked up canned goods as people rushed Seventy-five per cent of the homes in the Mobile area suffered to buy food to tide them through the difficult and uncertain days roof damage. ahead. The famous Bellingrath Gardens was closed indefinitely. Some of its 200-300-year-old trees were destroyed. The Storm Strikes— By noon, winds were clocked at 25 miles per hour. By 3 o'clock, gusts were surpassing 50 m.p.h. By 5 p.m., Opportunists Exploit Victims— Once again greed and op- many homes were already without power. As the clock ap- portunism began to rear their ugly heads. Looters raced into the proached midnight, gusts of 97 m.p.h. were recorded at the Bates business districts. Prichard Mayor A. J. Cooper ordered police to Field weather station. Along the coast winds were estimated as fire two warning shots, then shoot to kill. Dusk to dawn curfews high as 145 m.p.h. No one knows, for sure, since all weather- were imposed. monitoring devices there were quickly destroyed. Scarce gasoline supplies were hiked as high as $4 a gallon. It was about 10 p.m. when the hurricane's eye approached Residents were approached by companies proposing to charge Mobile. It measured 50 miles long and 40 miles wide before as much as $975 to cut a tree and $2,250 to remove the tree and landfall—the largest storm center in recorded history. A normal limbs. eye is 12-25 miles in diameter. Chain saws were selling for $1,000 each. Barometric pressure dropped to a new low for Mobile-28.38 Electric generators were priced at $500-$600 more than their inches at 10:40 p.m. prehurricane price. Twelve-foot tides surged onto the coastal lowlands. Shady operators began setting up in motels, representing them- Power lines were snapping like weak threads. selves as carpenters, plumbers, and roofers. Flying aluminum and tin roofing were smashing into windows "Never in your lives have you seen the amount of scheming of and gravel from roadbeds and flat roofs was pelting cars like gun- people trying to take advantage" of the situation, declared shots. Alabama Attorney General Charles Graddick. The darkness of the night was lit up like the Fourth of July as Some 188,000 customers were without electricity. About 100,000 transformers began popping. Sparks from fallen wires looked like lacked telephone service, but 140,000 long distance calls were still giant sparklers and traffic lights were dangling like Christmas or- processed in the hour between 9 and 10 a.m. Thursday. naments left on a dead tree that had been thrown out into the yard. Without electrical power to operate refrigerators, gasoline Some who had decided to "ride it out" began having second pumps, and cash registers, and with numerous roads blocked by thoughts. Finally, panic-stricken, they called for help. But the debris, partial paralysis gripped an area 100 miles wide and hun- storm's severity made it almost impossible to answer any but dreds of miles inland. emergency calls. Mail service was disrupted. Newspapers couldn't publish. Gar- At Providence Hospital 200 persons—families of essential hospi- bage collection was delayed. Schools closed. The Mobile County tal staff members—were herded into the nursing school au- Grand Jury was able to deliberate on only about one-third of 135 ditorium and were falling asleep when a ferocious gust of wind cases due to law enforcement officers being tied up with relief TWO work. Athletic and social events were cancelled. zation. "Seventh-day Adventists are the most fantastic clothing Health hazards abounded. Thousands of dead fish and tons of people I've seen in my life," he said. rotting food created an enormous fly problem. Sewer systems Incomplete reports indicate that some 3,500 persons were were out of commission, with raw sewage escaping to undeter- helped by Adventists during the week following the disaster. One mined locations. Emergency medical supplies, such as tetanus Red Cross official stated that the figure was probably twice that. At toxoid, were being flown in daily. People were being alerted to least 75 church members were involved in the relief effort. symptoms of food poisoning, and urged to boil or chlorinate "I've always made a contribution to Ingathering," a businessman drinking water. said while visiting the Alabama-Mississippi/Kentucky-Tennessee Panic Seizes Some— With food spoiling and drinking water headquarters at Mobile Junior Academy, "but I'm going to give a contaminated, some became terrified. Police had to use bullhorns lot more from now on." to break up a mob of 5,000 crowded into a half-block area housing a The occupants of a trailer where a four-year-old girl lost her life food stamp office, forcing its closure until other offices opened. in the storm told Adventist volunteers, "You are the only people One Adventist Community Services van was attacked by desper- who have come to help us." ate people demanding food. The Scars— The immediate danger is past. Utilities are again in Police were dispatched to gas stations with generator-powered operation. Most businesses are open. Schools have reopened. pumps and to food stores to quell disturbances and disentangle Athletic events, postponed following the hurricane, are being re- traffic in the long lines. scheduled. Life is taking on more of a semblance of normalcy. More than 800 vehicles lined up for 10-pound bags of ice going But scars remain. for $1 each. As major disasters go, the death rate was low—eight killed, most One Mississippi entrepreneur hauled 28,000 pounds of ice into in the storm's aftermath by fire. the area, selling out in four hours. But that introduces the most pressing danger now—fire. "Storm-weary residents of this Gulf Coast city suffered gamely Adversity Reveals the Best— But disasters bring out the best through the 145-mile-an-hour winds of Hurricane Frederic . ," in people, as well as the worst. ASC Distributors of Atlanta trucked states Atlanta Journal staff writer Joe Ledlie. "Now they get jumpy 45,000 pounds of ice to Mobile for free distribution. at the sight of a match." Georgia Baptists sent 10-12 tons of ice. Dried branches and other debris are stacked 10 feet high along Some grocers gave frozen food away, rather than have it spoil. streets or dumped in parks. According to the U. S. Army Corps of Red Cross, Salvation Army, and other church and volunteer Engineers, there is enough debris in Mobile to fill a 200-story groups, including SDA Community Service workers, swung into warehouse as long as a football field—or to burn whole sections of action even before the winds died down. the city down. It will be six months before it is all removed. Approximately 550 Baptist men with chain saws assisted in re- Half a million people's lives were disrupted.