105 years ago devastating hurricane hits Duval County causing widespread damage

 

POSTED BY: CARDENAS.AE@GMAIL.COM AUGUST 16, 2021

One hundred five years ago this Wednesday, on August 18, 1916, a Category Four hurricane hit the Gulf Coast near Corpus Christi and took a route up today’s State Highway 44 all the way to San Diego. It caused death and destruction as far away as La Rosita.

Early reports from the Corpus Christi Caller & Daily Herald prematurely played down the storm’s impact.

Corpus Christi Defies Tropical Hurricane

read the lead headline on the newspaper’s front page on Sunday, August 20, 1916. No loss of life or serious injury was reported, the Caller wrote. Damage was kept to under a million dollars. “Flimsy structures” were washed away, but the business section and residential neighborhoods were mostly unscathed. 

But, in an adjacent story, the facts told another tale. “Three Bodies Was Ashore,” read the headline. In a smaller story on the bottom half of the newspaper’s fold, a headline announced

SAN DIEGO FEELS FULL FORCE OF WIND DAMAGE…LOSS IN TOWN ALONE ESTIMATED AT $50,000, ONE FATALITY REPORTED 

Corpus Christi’s waterfront received the brunt of the storm.

The hurricane arrived at San Diego at 2 o’clock in the afternoon and winds and rain reached their peak at nine that night. After “blasting a path of destruction through town,” the 80-miles per hour winds died down at three the following morning. Neighboring ranches and towns experienced heavy losses. 

The San Diego Gin & Milling Company and the Rogers Lumber Company, both located on the town’s west side, were completely demolished. Also razed to the ground was a sub-plant of the Gin located at the railroad depot, which also experienced severe damage. The O. G. Garcia & Co. store made of brick was hit with heavy damage. 

The path of destruction included were the L. Levy home, the town’s electric power plant, and the Hidalgo theater. It was hard to find a “windmill, barn, fence, or outhouse still standing.” Innumerable shacks in the poorer section of town were leveled. To make matters worse, a midnight fire added to the “terror to the unfortunate inhabitants.” Only one fatality was reported, but the newspaper did not provide the name of the victim.

Five days later, on August 23, 1916, the Caller reported that

SAN DIEGO LOSSES FAR GREATER THAN THE FIRST ESTIMATES

The losses had doubled from $50,000 to $100,000.Figured into the new losses was the ruining of the entire cotton crop. In addition to the crop loss, every church and school in the county suffered extensive damage. The nearby town of Springfield was “wiped out” and more than 40 farm homes in the area were leveled. 

The only injured parties named were the Severo Alaniz family of La Rosita who suffered extensive injuries when their adobe houses crashed down on them as they sought refuge from the storm. 

The Caller saw a silver lining in the disaster. Despite the heavy losses, the storm brought the best rains to the area in some time and would more than makeup for the devastation. Perhaps so, but three years later, in 1919, another storm would visit the area.

The hurricane caused extensive damage to Corpus Christi’s principal seashore resort.

10 COMMENTSON "105 YEARS AGO DEVASTATING HURRICANE HITS DUVAL COUNTY CAUSING WIDESPREAD DAMAGE"

1. Linda Vera | August 16, 2021 at 8:34 pm | Reply
   I was told of the storm. My grandparents G. Vera told his children how bad it was. My dad Jesus Vera told us about the devastating storm.

• cardenas.ae@gmail.com | August 16, 2021 at 8:40 pm | Reply
  I’m sure it would have made a very big impression on them.

2. Vicente Vera | August 16, 2021 at 1:48 pm | Reply
   I was never told of this storm both my grandparents were born n raised there in Benavides area in the early 1900s thank you for for sharing this news with us.

• cardenas.ae@gmail.com | August 16, 2021 at 4:22 pm | Reply
  Thank you. Vicente. Glad you enjoyed the story.

3. Fannie Cavazos Hewgley | August 16, 2021 at 10:53 am | Reply
   Thank you so very much for this article. I was born and raised in Alice and had family all along the hurricane path, it seems, but I had never heard about it. My mom’s family lived in Taft at the time but my mom was only 2. Do you know of a book, if any, that I can buy to read about it? Do you recommend any reading material regarding the Spanish Flu in our area? Thanks.

• cardenas.ae@gmail.com | August 16, 2021 at 11:13 am | Reply
  Thank you, Fannie. Off hand I don’t know of any books on the topics you mention. I will look around and let you know if I find anything of interest.

4. Richard Lopez | August 16, 2021 at 10:20 am | Reply
   Very interesting reading. I knew a Severo Alaniz from school in the 50/60’s from La Rosita. I noticed the GUI was not named. When was the naming of hurricanes begin?

• cardenas.ae@gmail.com | August 16, 2021 at 11:15 am | Reply
  Thank you, Richard. Hurricanes began to be named in the early 1950s. See this article: https://earthsky.org/earth/how-do-hurricanes-get-their-names/#:~:text=In%20the%20early%201950s%2C%20the,naming%20for%20the%20Atlantic%20Ocean.

5. Ken Foster | August 16, 2021 at 7:40 am | Reply
   My father was born 1911 and grew up near Palito Blanco. He told a story about as a child enduring a hurricane while they lived there. Windmills had wooden towers, it blew them all down. Since he was 5 in 1916 I think it unlikely he would have remembered it making it more likely he remembered the 1919. Who knows. Thanks for this Alfredo.

• cardenas.ae@gmail.com | August 16, 2021 at 11:17 am | Reply
  Thanks, Ken. I hope to write a blog next week on the 1919 storm. It is hurricane season so may be it will help some folks prepare for any eventuality.