October 15, 1954 Hurricane Hazel

The information available on Hurricane Hazel comes from a few diary entries and notices in the newspapers from other areas. For whatever reason, there are no collected copies of the Interlaken Review for the time period June 1952 until January 1957.

Under the headline, “Hazel Destroys Ovid Area Property,” two items relating to Interlaken are noted.

At the Elmer Aho farm home, Townsendville Rd., in the southern end of Seneca County, papers laid on the floor of a three-story brooder house to keep dampness out, were hurled against a brooder stove, setting fire to the building. Of 5,000-day-old chicks on the third floor, 500 were stepped on or smothered as firemen of the Interlaken Fire Company under Chief Adrian Dickerson tried to quell the blaze in the raging hurricane wind. On the first and second floors of the brooder house 2,700 pullets were saved.

Four trees near the Myron Bassette home, Interlaken, crashed under the twister. Windows in homes, business places and barns were smashed.

[Geneva Daily Times, October 18, 1954]

Dewitt’s Diary, Friday, October 15, 1954

Cloudy, strong south wind, temperature 70. Hurricane Hazel coming up the coast. Expects to touch here with rain and wind.

High winds all day and rain. Temperature 70 at 6:30 pm.

Storm is expected to hit here at 12 to 4 tomorrow morning.

Storm struck here at 10 o’clock and it was fierce. Edna went to Covert Grange at 6:30 but got back in a hurry.

Myron drove in with Lem at 9:15 and we went down to his house in town (Leland and I). Lem’s birthday. We stayed about 15 minutes and made it home at the height of the blow.

Trees down in every direction and no electricity for six hours at home.