Hurricane Hattie
From Freepedia
| Storm path | |
| Duration | Oct. 27 - Nov. 1, 1961 |
| Highest winds | 160 mph (260 km/hr) sustained sustained |
| Damages | $370 million (2005 dollars) |
| Fatalities | 400+ direct |
| Areas affected | Belize, Yucatan Peninsula |
| Part of the 1961 Atlantic hurricane season | |
Hurricane Hattie was a powerful hurricane that hit Central America on Halloween, 1961. It swept across the Caribbean and came ashore in the town of Belize City, British Honduras (now Belize), on October 31. It was a strong Category 4 hurricane at landfall. It had just weakened from a Category 5 right offshore.
Hattie destroyed parts of British Honduras, and killed an estimated 400 people. In the days after that storm, throngs of survivors numbering in the thousands roamed the streets for days digging about in the crumbled ruins in search of any kind of food. Hattie also caused about $60,000,000 in damage (1961 dollars).
Violence also broke out in the aftermath of the storm, causing the British frigate, H.M.S. Troubridge, to land 125 officers and men to aid colony police in halting widespread looting and pillaging. Authorities hanged four looters in the center of town as an example and warning.
Hattie damaged Belize City badly enough to force the government to relocate to a new capital further inland: its present location in Belmopan. Also, some permanent towns, such as Hattieville, were formed from temporary shelters built for those made homeless by the hurricane.
Hattie held Category 5 intensity on the dates of October 30 and October 31, making it the latest Category 5 storm on record in the Atlantic basin.
The name Hattie was retired the following year and was replaced by Holly in 1965.
See Also
Categories: Atlantic hurricanes | 1961 Atlantic hurricane season | Category 5 hurricanes | Retired Atlantic hurricanes | Belize
