1918 – Aug 6-7, Hurricane One, 1918 Season (category 3), Southwest Louisiana — 34

–34 Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters. EM DAT Database.
–34 Dunn, Gordon E. and Banner I. Miller. Atlantic Hurricanes (Revised). 1964, p. 320.
–34 Hebert/Jarrell/Mayfield. The Deadliest, Costliest…[US] Hurricanes… Feb 1993, p. 80.
–34 Jarrell/Mayfield/Rappaport/Landsea. The Deadliest…U.S. Hurricanes from 1900-2000. P.6.
–34 Rappaport and Partagas. The Deadliest Atlantic Tropical Cyclones, 1492-1994. 1995, p.24.
–34 Roth, David. Louisiana Hurricane History. Camp Springs, MD: National Weather Svc., p4.
–34 Wikipedia. “1918 Atlantic Hurricane Season.”
–33 Daily Herald, Biloxi-Gulfport, MS. “Hurricane Death List Increased to 33.” 8-10-1818, p4.
–18 Atlantic News-Telegraph, IA. “Telegraphic Brevities.” 8-9-1918, p. 4.
–17 Monroe News-Star, LA. “Storm Isolates Lake Charles. 10…” 8-7-1918, p.1.
–2 DeQuincy
–2 Gerstner Field
–3 Grand Lake
–9 Lake Charles
–1 Sulphur
Breakout of fatalities by locality where noted:
— 3 Big Lake. St. Tammany Farmer, LA. “Lake Charles Almost Razed.” 8-10-1918, p. 5.
— 6 Cameron Parish. Daily Herald, Biloxi, MS. “Hurricane Death List Increased to 33.” 8-10-1818, p.4.
–1 Sweet Lake. Drowning; Pete Madison.
— 6 DeQuincy, Calcasieu Parish. Monroe News-Star, LA. “Storm Isolates Lake Charles…” 8-7-1918, 1.
— 4 DeQuincy. St. Tammany Farmer, LA. “Lake Charles Almost Razed.” 8-10-1918, p. 5.
— ? DeQuincy. “Several.” St. Landry Clarion, Opelousas, LA. “The Tropical Storm…” 8-10-1918, p.1.
— 1 DeQuincy. Monroe News-Star, LA. “Storm Isolates Lake Charles. 10…” 8-7-1918, p.1
— 2 Gerstner Field. Monroe News-Star, LA. “Storm Isolates Lake Charles. 10…” 8-7-1918, p.1.

–1 Injuries received during storm; Corporal William R. Maurer of Reading, PA.
— 3 Grand Lake. Monroe News-Star, LA. “Storm Isolates Lake Charles. 10…” 8-7-1918, p.1.
–10 Lake Charles. St. Tammany Farmer, LA. “Lake Charles Almost Razed.” 8-10-1918, p. 5.
— 9 Lake Charles, Calcasieu Parish. Monroe News-Star, LA. “17 Known Dead…Big Storm.” 8-8-1918, 1.
–1 Southern part of city; woman killed when hit by flying debris.
–1 Man killed by falling brick.
— 3 Sulphur, Calcasieu Parish. Monroe News-Star, LA. “Storm Isolates Lake Charles. 10…” 8-7-1918, p.1.

Narrative Information

Dunn and Miller: “1918 Aug 6…W La. …Extreme [intensity]…34 killed, damage $5,000,000.”

Roth: “August 6th, 1918 (Merryville Tornado/Cheniere-au-Tigre Storm): A hurricane originating
south of Jamaica struck Cameron Parish. The storm affected places as far west as Orange, Texas
and as far east as Jennings. It struck without warning. Winds at Lake Charles were estimated to
be near 100 mph; Sulphur reported a pressure of 28.36″ and winds as high as 125 mph. Johnson’s
Bayou saw a 2 1/2 foot storm surge while Morgan City recorded a three foot surge. Leesburg
(Cameron) itself saw little damage. However, homes in Grand Chenier and Creole were swept
away by the storm surge.

“The main route between Leesburg (Cameron) and Lake Charles was a ship named the
Borealis Rex. It left on the morning of the 6th and fought rising winds to try to get back to port in
Lake Charles. When she entered Prien Lake, strong winds drove the boat against the shore. The
passengers ran out to a nearby home to ride out the storm. When winds reversed out of the north
in the early afternoon, the Rex was forced a mile downstream where it sank in 8-10 foot waves.
Lowest pressure noted on the vessel’s barometer before capsizing was 29.06”. The boat was
resurrected, refurbished, and back in commission by the spring of 1919. Its bell ended up at the
Methodist church until it was blown off the roof by severe thunderstorms on February 12, 1998.

“The tempest killed three pilots at Gerstner Field, one of the first air fields in the country,
which was located near Holmwood. It destroyed seven hangars and 96 airplanes. Only its Big
lake Gunnery School survived, which assisted with relief work after the storm. In Lake Charles,
the synagogue Temple Sinai was severely damaged. The old Presbyterian church was demolished.
A portion of the M.E. church was detached and “blown to pieces” (Millet). Area sawmills were destroyed. The damage was most severe in the Goosport milling district, where fires added to the destruction caused by the wind. The fires were so bright that DeQuincy could see a red glow in the southern sky.

“Westlake was “a scene of desolation” as most buildings were leveled. Very few Sulphur
businesses were left standing. The Union Sulphur Mines saw the greatest monetary losses, which
totaled $3 million. Further north, DeQuincy was heavily damaged by high winds. Several homes
and businesses there met their fate. Thirty- four lives were lost across the state of Louisiana.
Timber losses were calculated at $1 million, while the destruction of the saw mills incurred a
loss of $1 million. In all, $5 million dollars in damage occurred.” (Roth, David. Louisiana Hurricane History. Camp Springs, MD: National Weather Service; p. 30.)

Newspaper

Aug 7, Monroe News-Star, LA: “Lake Charles, La., Aug 7. – With scarcely no warning, the West Indian hurricane, which swept in from the Gulf yesterday, struck Lake Charles and vicinity with its full force and left ruin in its wake. It was the most furious storm ever experience here. The storm began shortly after noon and continued its violence for nearly three hours. The wind blew at a terrific rate, accompanied by torrents of rain. There is scarcely a building in Lake Charles which escaped damage. Many were totally destroyed. Others were partially wrecked and thousands of windows were blown in. A conservative estimate of material damage is placed at $1,000,000. It is believed this amount may be somewhat exceeded when all points in the path of the storm are heard from.

“A remarkable feature of the storm was the fact that only two persons lost their lives here [Lake Charles]. A white woman living in the southern part of the city was killed by flying debris, and a negro man struck by falling brick was the other victim. One other person believed to have been fatally [injured] when he was buried beneath a collapsed building. Many others suffered injuries.

“All wires in the city were completely wrecked. There was no light in Lake Charles last night, except by lamp and candle. Streets all over the city were made almost impassable with ruined buildings and fallen trees. Not a business place along Ryan street, the city’s principal thoroughfare, escaped damage.

“Lafayette, La., Aug. 7. – A tropical storm which struck the Louisiana coast yesterday afternoon wrought great havoc in Lake Charles and vicinity, according to stories told by persons arriving here from that city early today. Ten persons are reported to have been killed….

“Electric light, telephone and telegraph wires are down and the city was in total darkness last night. Lieutenant Fatler of Gerstner Field was placed in charge of volunteer police to cooperate with the regular city police and a large detail of soldiers from Gerstner Field was on duty to protect the city. Military law was proclaimed.

“The storm lasted two hours, striking the city at 2 p.m. The wind at times reached a velocity, it was estimated, of 120 miles an hour….

“Six persons were reported killed at DeQuincy and three at Sulphur, La. About 50 houses at the latter place were demolished. Westlake also suffered severely.” (Monroe News-Star, LA. “Storm Isolates Lake Charles. 10 Persons Reported Dead as Result of Tornado on Louisiana Coast Yesterday.” 8-7-1918, p. 1.)
Sources

Atlantic News-Telegraph, IA. “Telegraphic Brevities.” 8-9-1918, p. 4. Accessed 9-11-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/atlantic-news-telegraph-aug-09-1918-p-4/

Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters. EM DAT Database. Louvain, Belgium: Universite Catholique do Louvain. Accessed at: http://www.emdat.be/

Daily Herald, Biloxi and Gulfport, MS. “Hurricane Death List Increased to 33.” 8-10-1818, p. 4. Accessed 9-11-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/biloxi-daily-herald-aug-10-1918-p-4/

Dunn, Gordon E. and Banner I. Miller. Atlantic Hurricanes (Revised Edition). Baton Rouge LA: Louisiana State University Press, 1964, 377 pages.

Hebert, Paul J., J.D. Jarrell, Max Mayfield. The Deadliest, Costliest, and Most Intense United States Hurricanes of This Century (NOAA Technical Memorandum NWS-NHC-31). Miami, FL: National Hurricane Center, National Weather Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, Feb 1993, 41 pages.

Jarrell, Jerry D., Max Mayfield, Edward N. Rappaport, Christopher Landsea. The Deadliest, Costliest, and Most Intense United States Hurricanes From 1900 to 2000. Miami, F: Tropical Prediction Center and National Hurricane Center, October 2001. Accessed 9-11-2022 at: https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/pdf/NWS-TPC-2001-3.pdf

Monroe News-Star, LA. “17 Known Dead From Big Storm.” 8-8-1918, p. 1. Accessed 9-11-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/monroe-news-star-aug-08-1918-p-1/

Monroe News-Star, LA. “Storm Isolates Lake Charles. 10 Persons Reported Dead as Result of Tornado on Louisiana Coast Yesterday.” 8-7-1918, p. 1. Accessed 9-11-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/monroe-news-star-aug-07-1918-p-1/

Rappaport, Edward N. and Jose Fernandez-Partagas. The Deadliest Atlantic Tropical Cyclones, 1492-1994 (NOAA Technical Memorandum NWS NHC-47). Coral Gables, FL: National Hurricane Center, National Weather Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, January 1995, 42 pages. Accessed 8-20-2017 at: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/pdf/NWS-NHC-1995-47.pdf

Roth, David. Louisiana Hurricane History. Camp Springs, MD: National Weather Service. Accessed 9-11-2022 at: https://w2.weather.gov/media/lch/events/lahurricanehistory.pdf

St. Landry Clarion, Opelousas, LA. “The Tropical Storm Swept Southwest Part of Louisiana.” 8-10-1918, p. 1. Accessed 9-11-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/saint-landry-clarion-aug-10-1918-p-1/

St. Tammany Farmer, LA. “Lake Charles Almost Razed.” 8-10-1918, p. 5. Accessed 9-11-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/the-saint-tammany-farmer-aug-10-1918-p-5/

Wikipedia. “1918 Atlantic Hurricane Season.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1918_Atlantic_hurricane_season