Posted on 11/11/2006 1:08:02 PM PST by Ptarmigan
A tropical wave moves off the coast of Africa in late August of 1961. Perhaps, it was a large cluster of thunderstorms. We may never know. What matters is this tropical wave moves to the Caribbean. Conditions are favorable and becomes a tropical depression on September 3rd. Then it begins to strengthen into Tropical Storm Carla and becomes a hurricane. It moves between the Yuacatan Peninsula and Cuba and enters the Gulf of Mexico as a Category 2 hurricane with 105 mph winds. Once, it is over the Gulf, it rapidly intensify into a monsterous Category 5 hurricane. Carla's peak wind was 175 mph and central pressure of 936 millibars or less. Also, Carla is one of the largest Atlantic hurricanes on record with hurricane force winds extending at least 150 miles from the eye. Hurricane Carla heads towards the Texas Coast and it appears to make landfall on Galveston. However, a high pressure system push its further south. On September 11th, Carla makes landfall on Port O'Connor as a Category 4 hurricane with 145 mph winds and central pressure of 931 millibars. Gusts as high as 175 mph is recorded. All of the Texas coast is affected by Carla. 15 tp 20 foot storm surge plagues the Texas coast and rainfall as high as 19 inches is recorded in the Houston area. However, only 31 people died in Texas because many people had evacuated from the coast. A total of 43 people died from Carla. Once Carla makes landfall, it weakens into a tropical storm andends up in the Midwest as a prolific rainmaker. Hurricane Carla is one of the most intense hurricane to make landfall on America. Carla is also the largest hurricane to hit Texas.
Wikipedia-Hurricane Carla
NWS Corpus Christi-Hurricane Carla
Houston Chronicles-The lessons of Carla may be forgotten
Island of Galveston-Hurricane Carla
Ah, I remember it well. It was a doozie.
My dad lived in Liverpool about 90 miles up the coast from Port O'connor.
We had a heck of an adventure trying unsuccessfully to rescue his boat down around Freeport.
The aftermath of Carla, really instilled a habit of preparedness in me.
My greatest joy looking back, is that CNN didn't exist, to show us as we turned cannibal on the third day.
I was only a few miles from the Texas coast in Hurricane Carla!
I was six months old and with my parents at our local elementary school.
I wasn't scared at all.
;-)
Thanks for the interesting post! I clearly remember Carla even though I was a kid - it tore up my family's weekend house south of Houston. I still have the Hurricane Carla book that came out afterward - possibly the most lasting bad effect was that was how Dan Rather got his national start. That "blue collar" comedian Ron White, who's from Houston, mentioned Carla on one of the TV specials aired not long ago, which took me by surprise!
Dan Rather was unknown at the time. One can say, he was the first reporter to be reporting during a hurricane, we see often during hurricanes on TV, like Weather Channel, CNN, ABC, FOX News, etc. I never heard of Ron White, until you mentioned him. What network is he on?
Even if CNN DID exist, we wouldn't have gotten the coverage Katrina got. Rita was no picnic and we were treated like a red headed step child.
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