LEFT: At 4:45 p.m. the storm surge of the 1938 hurricane reaches the very heart of Providence, Rhode Island. Waves can be seen in front of the Biltmore Hotel (right building), while marooned pedestrians gather on the steps of Providence City Hall. RIGHT: Looking down Dorrance Street at the height of the hurricane. (Photos Providence Journal 1940).
The eastern end of Fire Island, NY near Moriches Inlet after the 1938 hurricane. The main road through the island is just visible in the center of the lower portion of the photograph. More than 200 homes had been perched on dunes 20 feet high. The horrific storm tide swept nearly everything away. (Photo Courtesy Mitchel Field, 2nd Air Base Squadron - U.S. Army, NY 1938).
Long Island properties, especially those on the South Shore, now command million$ pricetags.