PHOTOS: Revisiting Hurricane Hazel

Leaning telephone poles and piles of sand and debris along the strand at Carolina Beach on Oct. 23, 1954, a week after the arrival of Hurricane Hazel. [WILMINGTON STARNEWS FILE PHOTO]

Damaged homes along Carolina Beach Avenue following the landfall of Hurricane Hazel on Oct. 15, 1954. [WILMINGTON STARNEWS FILE PHOTO]

A row of oceanfront homes in Carolina Beach after Hurricane Hazel hit on October 15, 1954. [WILMINGTON STARNEWS FILE PHOTO]

Damage along Carolina Beach Avenue North, as seen on Oct. 23, 1954, a week after the landfall of Hurricane Hazel. [WILMINGTON STARNEWS FILE PHOTO]

Debris flies thru the air and waves pound the beach around the Lumina Pavilion dancehall at Wrightsville Beach during Hurricane Hazel in October 1954. [WILMINGTON STARNEWS FILE PHOTO]

The Chamber of Commerce office and the landmark Carolina Beach whale sit in the surge during Hurricane Hazel in 1954. [PHOTO BY HUGH MORTON/WILMINGTON STARNEWS]

A man stands on a massive pile of sand along the Carolina Beach Boardwalk following the strike of Hurricane Hazel. The Silver Dollar and Boardwalk Canteen are both seen in this image shot on Oct. 22, 1954. [WILMINGTON STARNEWS FILE PHOTO]

The Hunter's Inn sits collapsed in the sands of Carolina Beach, as seen on Oct. 22, 1954 following the strike of Hurricane Hazel. [WILMINGTON STARNEWS FILE PHOTO]

Wrightsville Beach's water tower is surrounded by damaged homes and debris after Hurricane Hazel in October 1954. [PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CAPE FEAR MUSEUM]

The Carolina Beach Boardwalk following the damage of Hurricane Hazel in 1954. [WILMINGTON STARNEWS FILE PHOTO]

Remains of a hotel and the skyway at the Carolina Beach Boardwalk area following the strike of Hurricane Hazel in 1954. [WILMINGTON STARNEWS FILE PHOTO]

The Southport waterfront along Bay Street was destroyed in the wake of Hurricane Hazel in Oct. 1954. [WILMINGTON STARNEWS FILE PHOTO]

The wave of debris created by Hurricane Hazel when it made landfall in October 1954. [PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CAPE FEAR MUSEUM]

Local women survey the damage from Hurricane Hazel in Carolina Beach, which made landfall on Oct. 15, 1954. [PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CAPE FEAR MUSEUM]

The oceanfront Breakers Hotel suffered damage to more than 60 rooms following Hurricane Hazel in October 1954. [WILMINGTON STARNEWS FILE PHOTO]

Flooding along Mrytle Avenue in Carolina Beach following the arrival of Hurricane Hazel in October 1954. [PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CAPE FEAR MUSEUM]

Fishing and shrimp boats were tossed around Southport in the wake of Hurricane Hazel in October 1954. [WILMINGTON STARNEWS FILE PHOTO]

A sign in Carolina Beach announces it will be reopening after rebuilding from Hurricane Hazel in 1954. [WILMINGTON STARNEWS FILE PHOTO]

Hotels, rooming houses and apartments were damaged, some beyond repair, by the fury of Hurricane Hazel in October 1954. [Photo from Hurricane Hazel Lashes Coastal Carolinas: The Great Storm in Pictures]

The damage done to the Neptune Restaurant on North Lumina Avenue in Wrightsville Beach by Hurricane Hazel in October 1954. [PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CAPE FEAR MUSEUM]

The damage to the Breakers Hotel on Wilmington Beach following Hurricane Hazel in October 1954. [PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CAPE FEAR MUSEUM]

Harold S. Meyer's color photos of Hurricane Hazel's aftermath are some of the only color images the Wilmington Star-News could locate in 50th anniversary coverage of the storm in 2004. Here homes are seen at Wrightsville Beach. [PHOTO BY HAROLD S. MEYER, GIVEN TO THE WILMINGTON STARNEWS]

Harold S. Meyer's color photos of Hurricane Hazel's aftermath are some of the only color images the Wilmington Star-News could locate in 50th anniversary coverage of the storm in 2004. Here is a hotel on the beach following the hurricane. [PHOTO BY HAROLD S. MEYER, GIVEN TO THE WILMINGTON STARNEWS]

The storm whipped surf smashes into the Kure Beach fishing pier during Hurricane Hazel in October 1954. [PHOTO BY HUGH MORTON/WILMINGTON STAR NEWS]

The wreckage left behind by Hurricane Hazel in Wrightsville Beach in October 1954. [PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CAPE FEAR MUSEUM]

Remains of the Breakers Hotel in Wrightsville Beach liter the ground after Hurricane Hazel in October 1954. [PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CAPE FEAR MUSEUM]

A woman stands by a Carolina Camera car damaged by the wrath of Hurricane Hazel in Wrightsville Beach in October 1954. [PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CAPE FEAR MUSEUM]

A boat is left lopsided on a deck following Hurricane Hazel's arrival in October 1954. [PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CAPE FEAR MUSEUM]

A building on Topsail Beach is torn to shreds by Hurricane Hazel in October 1954. [PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CAPE FEAR MUSEUM]

A couple walks by a line of pilings, the onlything that remained of a pier following Hurricane Hazel in October 1954. [PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CAPE FEAR MUSEUM]

Pier and beach access pilings are left on Wrightsville Beach following Hurricane Hazel in October 1954. [PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CAPE FEAR MUSEUM]

Someone treads flood water in downtown Wilmington following Hurricane Hazel in October 1954. [PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CAPE FEAR MUSEUM]

A building destroyed by Hurricane Hazel in Carolina Beach in October 1954. [PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CAPE FEAR MUSEUM]

A car blown over on its side in Wrightsville Beach following Hurricane Hazel in October 1954. [PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CAPE FEAR MUSEUM]

A soldier stands atop damage outside Red and Joe's Grill in Carolina Beach after Hurricane Hazel in October 1954. [PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CAPE FEAR MUSEUM]

The inventory of Robert's Grocery on Lumina Avenue in Wrightsville Beach is destroyed by floodwaters from Hurricane Hazel in October 1954. [PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CAPE FEAR MUSEUM]

Men with the American Red Cross help dig a home out from sand and debris following Hurricane Hazel in October 1954. [PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CAPE FEAR MUSEUM]

National Guard officers walk the streets of Carolina Beach following Hurricane Hazel in October 1954. [PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CAPE FEAR MUSEUM]