Hurricane Hazel made landfall near the North Carolina/South Carolina border as a Category 4 hurricane on October 15, 1954, causing widespread destruction, including a storm surge of up to 18 feet on the coast. Inland, winds over 150 mph and rainfall amounts over 10 inches caused significant damage. The storm killed 19 people in North Carolina and destroyed thousands of homes.

In Chatham, flooding and other damage was significant. Mark Ellington has contributed this photo of flood waters crossing Ellington Road at Bloodrun Creek in the aftermath of Hurricane Hazel, 1954.

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