1953 — April 27-May 22, heavy rains and flooding, east TX and southwest LA, esp. LA–12

–12 EDS, NOAA. Climatological Data National Summary, V22, N13, Annual 1971, p. 792.
–12 Geological Survey. Floods of April-June 1953 in Louisiana and Adjacent States. 1959, p155.

Louisiana (>9)
— 9 Blanchard – at least 8 noted by May 21, and one more noted May 24.
–>8 UP. “Thousands Fighting Rising Floodwater in Louisiana, Texas.” Ruston Daily Leader, LA. 5-21-1953, 1.
— 1 Crowley. Drowning; Joe Huntsberry, 14 “disappeared in a flooded gully.”
— 1 Kinder area, May 20. Drowning; tried to wade across flooded highway; Louis Paul Urwaleck.
— 1 Lake Charles, c. May 23. Body of unidentified airman found floating in four feet of water.
— 2 Lebeau, May 18. Boys drowned when swept up by flood waters while walking along road.
— 1 Opelousas, May 21. Drowning; boat hits railroad bridge; capsizes; Edward Robinson, 30.
— 1 Red River bayou; drowned while trying to round up cattle; LeRoy Williams.

Texas (~4)
–1 Crow, May 15. Car and truck crash in rainstorm; Mrs. Morell Moon, 35.
–1 Galveston storm; no details. Lubbock Avalanche, TX. “Louisiana Storms (cont. from p1).” 5-20-1953, p. 10.
–1 Kilgore. Drowning swimming in “flood-swollen Rabbit Creek…” Doris Lucas, 16.
–1 Trinity River. Drowning; Ocie Blair, 16, in attempt to save life of another boy.

Narrative Information

Environmental Data Service, NOAA: “Apr.-May 1953…Louisiana-Texas…12 [lives lost]… $38,950 [property losses in thousands of dollars.]

Geological Survey Abstract: “The floods of April-June 1953 in Louisiana and adjacent States were caused by continued heavy rains, which began April 24 and culminated in an unusual 24-
hour rain on May 18-19. There were two defined periods of heavy rainfall: April 24 to May 5 and May 11-15. Most streams reached higher peaks after the intense rain on May 18, although some reached their maximum during the first period. Twelve lives were lost due to causes directly connected with the floods, and direct losses were on the order of $35 million. The floods in southwestern Louisiana exceeded all previous records, and many acres of land thought to be out of the flood plain were inundated….” [p. 155]

“The floods were by far the greatest known in southwestern Louisiana from the West Atchafalaya floodway to the Sabine River. In the Florida parishes [of LA], maxima for the period of record since 1938 were approached or slightly exceeded. In northeastern Louisiana the flood was generally below maxima previously recorded and was far below those associated with the disastrous flood on the Mississippi River in 1927. In the Sabine and Neches River basins flooding was severe, and new maxima for the period of record occurred in the lower Sabine at the Bon Weir and Ruliff gaging stations….” [p. 157]

General Description of the Floods

“The floods of April-June 1953 were caused by unusually heavy rains beginning April 27. There were two defined periods of heavy rainfall occurring intermittently, April 27-May 5 and May 11-19. These storms produced rain ranging from 10 inches to more than 35 inches. The area of heaviest rainfall was in central Louisiana on a 60-mile line from Camp Polk to Pollock.

“The storm of April 27-May 5 had two high spots of rain in southern Louisiana, 20 inches at Camp Polk in the west and 17 inches at North Livingston Tower in the Florida parishes. The storm of May 11-19 had several high spots from east Texas to the Mississippi River south of the 32-degree parallel, where more than 20 inches of rain was common in the area centering near Melville on the Atchafalaya River.

“The rains stopped abruptly on May 19, and practically no rain fell during the remainder of the month. The first storm produced high stages on all streams in the area and set the stage for the more widespread disastrous floods that followed the second storm period. The high soil moisture contents that existed after the first storm period helped contribute to the high peak flows resulting from the rains of May 11-19. The culminating factor was the 24-hour rain on May 18 when amounts up to 13 inches were recorded….

“The area affected by the floods extended from the Chefuncte River in eastern Louisiana to the Neches River basin in east Texas and from the Arkansas-Louisiana State line to the Gulf of Mexico. The heaviest flooding took place in central Louisiana in an area extending from the West Atchafalaya floodway to the Sabine River.” [p. 158]

“….The most remarkable flooding occurred in the Calcasieu River basin…Cocodrie-Courtableau Bayou system, and the lower Sabine River. The culvert on Big Darbonne Bayou near Krotz Springs diverts water eastward from the Courtableau Teche basin at high stages….All major highways across Louisiana south of U.S. Highway 80 were closed by flood waters, and many railroad lines were washed out. The city of Lake Charles, La., suffered the most damaging flood in its history, and 15,000 people were left homeless. Upstream on the Calcasieu River the smaller towns of Oakdale and Kinder were hard hit. Baton Rouge, Shreveport, and Opelousas in Louisiana suffered damages in areas adjacent to streams…

“In the lower Sabine River, Deweyville, Tex., was completely flooded…; a successful flood fight at Orange saved inundation of the low areas of that city. It was fortunate that warm temperatures
prevailed during the flood period; otherwise, suffering would have been more acute….” [p.159]

“In the heavily flooded area of central Louisiana, a maximum stage of 26. 72 feet was recorded by Bayou Cocodrie near Clearwater on May 18 the highest since records began in 1937, compared with a previous maximum of 21.50 feet in 1938. This represented an increase in discharge from 4,000 cfs to 28, 200 cfs. In southwestern Louisiana, a maximum stage of 32.8 feet was recorded at Whiskey Chitto Creek near Oberlin; the previous maximum was 25. 7 feet in June 1886, from floodmarks preserved by local residents….” [p. 162]

Flood Damage

“Damage caused by the floods of April-June 1953 was greater than that of any previous flood in Louisiana with the exception of the great Mississippi River flood of 1927 when main line levees
were breached by crevasses.

“Twelve lives were lost in the floods of 1953. More than 4 million acres of land was inundated, and many homes were flooded. Highway and railroad bridges and roadbeds were destroyed…” [p. 164]

“Of the larger cities in Louisiana, Lake Charles was the hardest hit. At the crest of the flood, 60 percent of the area of the city was under water, 15,000 people were homeless, and 2,000 homes were flooded. The barracks area of the Lake Charles Air Force Base had to be evacuated, and water covered many of the operating airstrips.

“In Texas, Orange and Deweyville sustained considerable losses. [There was] extensive flooding from the Sabine River in this area…About 2,900 residential units, 200 business establishments, and 3 large industries in Orange were saved from flooding by the construction of a temporary levee. This levee was constructed under supervision of the Corps of Engineers by volunteers and personnel from local and Federal service units. Deducting the cost of levee construction, the benefits to Orange were estimated at $5, 507,700 by the Corps of Engineers. At Deweyville…, the entire town was flooded, and losses were estimated to be $141,500. Low areas in Beaumont were flooded by overflow of the Neches River, and losses were estimated at $97,400….” [p. 165]
(Geological Survey, Dept. of the Interior. Floods of April-June 1953 in Louisiana and Adjacent States. 1959.)
Newspaper

May 21, UP: “By the United Press. Thousands of lowland dwellers in Louisiana and Texas are fighting against the worst floods in half a century. At least eight persons are dead in Louisiana, thousands are homeless and property damage is soaring toward the $290-million mark.

“Flood waters have rolled over half the town of Deweyville, Texas. A sub-dike at the west end of Deweyville’s half-mile-long levee broke today and the Sabine river poured into the small community. Some 75 families were evacuated from their homes. The main levee protecting the town is holding so far but volunteers who were working around the clock to bolster it with sandbags had to abandon their posts when the sub-dike broke. The Sabine reached a record level this morning and is still rising today.

“Another critical flood spot is at Lake Charles, La. The rising Calcasieu river has driven more than 1200 families from their homes. Thousands of farmers, trappers and fishermen are setting up makeshift shelters for their families on high ground to escape the flood waters. The Lake Charles weather bureau warns that the most critical part of the flood is still to come.” (United Press. “Thousands Fighting Rising Floodwater in Louisiana, Texas.” Ruston Daily Leader, LA. 5-21-1953, p. 1.)

Sources

Associated Press. “Engineers Change Plan For Blasting Highway.” Monroe Morning World, LA. 5-24-1953, p. 1. Accessed 5-28-2023 at:
https://newspaperarchive.com/monroe-morning-world-may-24-1953-p-57/

Associated Press. “Louisiana Flood Toll Hits Eight.” Lubbock Morning Avalanche, TX. 5-22-1953, p. 1. Accessed 5-28-2023 at:
https://newspaperarchive.com/lubbock-morning-avalanche-may-22-1953-p-1/

Associated Press. “Teen-Ager Drowns.” Wichita Daily Times, TX, 5-21-1953, p. 17A. Accessed 5-28-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/wichita-daily-times-may-21-1953-p-17/

Associated Press. “Thousands Flee From Flood in Louisiana.” Denton Record Chronicle, TX. 5-21-1953, p. 1. Accessed 5-28-2023 at:
https://newspaperarchive.com/denton-record-chronicle-may-21-1953-p-1/

Associated Press. “Tornado Rips Through Two Small Towns. Threat of Further Storms Hangs Over State as Death Toll Hits 126.” The Victoria Advocate, TX. 5-17-1953, p. 1. Accessed 5-28-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/victoria-advocate-may-17-1953-p-1/

Environmental Data Service, NOAA. “Losses In Individual Severe Floods in the United States Since July 1902.” Climatological Data National Summary, Vol. 22, No. 13, Annual 1971. Asheville, NC: EDS/NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1972, pp. 791-792.

Geological Survey, Department of the Interior. Floods of April-June 1953 in Louisiana and Adjacent States (Geologic Survey Water-Supply Paper 1320-C). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1959, 176 pates. Accessed 5-27-2023 at: https://pubs.usgs.gov/wsp/1320c/report.pdf

Lubbock Morning Avalanche, TX. “Louisiana Storms (continued from p.1).” 5-20-1953, p. 10. Accessed 5-28-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/lubbock-morning-avalanche-may-20-1953-p-10/

United Press. “Flood Conditions Close Some Louisiana Schools.” Brownwood Bulletin, TX. 5-19-1953, p. 1. Accessed 5-28-2023 at:
https://newspaperarchive.com/brownwood-bulletin-may-19-1953-p-14/

United Press. “Thousands Fighting Rising Floodwater in Louisiana, Texas.” Ruston Daily Leader, LA. 5-21-1953, p. 1. Accessed 5-27-2023 at:
https://newspaperarchive.com/ruston-daily-leader-may-21-1953-p-1/