One of my favorite photos of all time.

This photo was taken by Hugh Morton, an NC native during Hurricane Hazel in 1954. It's somewhere on the coast of NC.

If you think you're having a bad day, remember that "bad" is relative.

Hazel basically wiped Topsail Island clean. My grandfather and great-grandfather built one of the first 2-3 houses back on the island. We had it until Fran & Bertha destroyed it when I was in college back in ‘96.

charliesgrave said:

If you think you're having a bad day, remember that "bad" is relative.

Click to expand...

Its absolutely true. Back in 2001, I was a poor college student who worked at a grocery store to cover my bills. I ended up having to work on Thanksgiving day, and wasn't able to spend the holiday with my family. I needed the money, and with the holiday pay, I couldn't say no.

We closed the store at 5pm that day. Once the floors were mopped, and everything put away, I and a coworker decided we'd have or own Thanksgiving dinner at the Waffle House across the street. While we were both complaining about not getting to spend the day with family, I happened to look across the place, and spotted an elderly man in the far booth.

The old man was all alone, and eating very slowly. Thats when I noticed that he had hooks for both hands. I decided I didn't have as much to complain about as I'd originally thought. While I did miss Thanksgiving with my family, at least I had a family I could visit later. And I still had the use of both my hands.

I could say I learned something about being thankful that day. Be glad for what you do have. And remember that there's always someone out there who's got it worse.

I walked on the beach the day after Hazel came through Cherry Grove Beach. My uncle had a beach cottage there that was built on a concrete slab. The slab was gone.

My parents lived in Beulaville, and were dating at that time. They rode over to Topsail, and it was virtually cleaned off. Until Fran came through in '96, when people in that part of the state spoke of "the hurricane", they were referring to Hazel. They said all that remained of one house was a second floor bathtub, held fifteen feet in the air by the plumbing.

I wish that plumber had built my house.

I lived in Lumberton in 1954. Hazel was my first hurricane. Needless to say, I was profoundly impressed, and remember it clearly to this day.

My Dad told me about how down near Morehead City Hazel picked up a train (locomotives and a couple cars) right off the track and sat down 20 to 30 yards away like a kid would have done with a toy train.

Hazel happened right after I was born. I was in a hurricane every year of my life for three or four years, and several as an adult.

BigWaylon said:

Hazel basically wiped Topsail Island clean. My grandfather and great-grandfather built one of the first 2-3 houses back on the island. We had it until Fran & Bertha destroyed it when I was in college back in ‘96.

Click to expand...

Where was it on the island? My grandparents bought one in the 70's off Evelyn lane that was built right after hazel. The roof was attached to cables anchored to the footings and it was built with heavy beams throughout. You could tell the original owner was prepping for the next Hazel.

Mack270 said:

Where was it on the island? My grandparents bought one in the 70's off Evelyn lane that was built right after hazel. The roof was attached to cables anchored to the footings and it was built with heavy beams throughout. You could tell the original owner was prepping for the next Hazel.

Click to expand...

I have no idea what the address was. It was North Topsail. Can’t remember the two piers it was between, but one burned down.

But I can tell you it was 7 houses down from the igloo house. Most people knew the landmark. It was one of those houses up on stilts, then they cinderblocked in the downstairs.

When it got destroyed, there wasn’t a block left...and the top story was thrown about two streets over and further from the dunes.

My first Mother-in-Law lives outside Benson on the spot her grandparents' house was on. The house survived Hazel, and was later moved when M-i-L built a new house there. She told the story about her grandmother, who was widowed at the time, leaving the house and hunkering down in a ditch outside. I always thought, and probably said, the crazy old bat would have been better off in the house than taking a chance on debris hitting her even in a low spot. Besides how bad could a hurricane be that far inland?

I kept that attitude until Fran destroyed a bunch of houses around me just outside of Cary. I was lucky enough to lose just two 60 foot oak trees which fell parallel to my house.

BigWaylon said:

I have no idea what the address was. It was North Topsail. Can’t remember the two piers it was between, but one burned down.

But I can tell you it was 7 houses down from the igloo house. Most people knew the landmark. It was one of those houses up on stilts, then they cinderblocked in the downstairs.

When it got destroyed, there wasn’t a block left...and the top story was thrown about two streets over and further from the dunes.

Click to expand...

I'm not familiar with the igloo house though we may know it by different names. I rode down after Fran with my grandfather and uncle. I was just a kid, not quite 13. It made an impression, even though I had seen a lot of damage on the other side of the county where I'm from.

There was a pile of rubble that used to be an ocean front cottage with a recliner sitting on top of it like it was supposed to be there. Our house was sound side and when we got there we could see two houses across the sound in the marsh. A crazy time.

Mack270 said:

I'm not familiar with the igloo house though we may know it by different names. I rode down after Fran with my grandfather and uncle. I was just a kid, not quite 13. It made an impression, even though I had seen a lot of damage on the other side of the county where I'm from.

Click to expand...

Well...it would be hard to know it as anything else.