Hurricane Carla (September 1961) was a big hurricane that reached Category 5intensity over the western Gulf of Mexico with sustained winds of 175 mph. Thestorm weakened to Category 4 intensity just before striking the Texas coastSept. 11. A wind gust to 170 mph was reported at Port Lavaca at the time oflandfall. A storm surge to 22 feet hit and, in some places, the oceanpenetrated 10 miles inland.Massive evacuation before the storm struck prevented the situation frombeing worse than it already was. The total damage was over 300 million in 1961dollars, which is equivalent to over $2 billion today. Nonetheless, only 43persons perished.
The only hurricane to strike the Texas coast worse was the Galveston stormin 1900. Because of little or no advance warning of the impending doom, over6,000 people on Galveston Island lost their lives.
Story by AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist John Kocet.
