CBC Digital Archives

Hurricane Hazel: Ernie Smith's tragedy

On Oct. 15, 1954, the most famous hurricane in Canadian history struck Southern Ontario. Hurricane Hazel pounded the city of Toronto with 110 km/hr winds and more than 200 millimetres of rain in less than 24 hours. Bridges and streets were washed out, homes and trailers were washed into Lake Ontario. Thousands were left homeless, and 81 were killed – 35 of them on one street alone.

Ernie Smith and his wife have invested their life savings, about $1,000, in a small house by the water in Long Branch. But now their house is destroyed. Dozens of Ernie's friends have come by to help him rebuild, but there's little they can do. Reporter Bill McNeil says the house now looks like a smashed packing crate.
• Long Branch Village is located on the north shore of Lake Ontario in Southern Toronto. As late as 1812 there were no bridges over the main rivers and toll ferries were used to cross the waters.
• The beeping noise you hear in the background of telephone interviews like this one was put there to inform callers that they were being recorded.
• Bill McNeil went on to become the host of CBC Radio's Fresh Air. He is the author of several books about the history of radio.
Medium: Radio
Program: CBC Radio News Special
Broadcast Date: Oct. 17, 1954
Guest(s):
Reporter: Bill McNeil
Duration: 2:28

Last updated: January 11, 2012

Page consulted on March 20, 2013

All Clips from this Topic

Related Content

1971: Canada's first successful plane hijacki...

An armed gunman reroutes Air Canada jet to Cuba.

2003: The great North America blackout

More than 50 million people go without electricity as a massive power outage reduces Ontario a...

1969: Sonic boom smashes Kelowna's windows

A sonic boom from an air show smashes windows in eight blocks of downtown Kelowna.

1980: Paper fight in the Manitoba legislature

A traditional end-of-session paper fight in the Manitoba legislature gets out of control.