Hurricane Frederick - The Worst Since 1916Hurricane Frederic hit the US Gulf Coast as the most damaging hurricane in history up to that time, making landfall in Alabama on September 12, 1979 at Dauphin Island. It was the third hurricane of a very busy hurricane season.Frederick had winds up to 125 miles an hour and an eight to twelve foot storm surge that caused about $2.3 billion worth of damage (in 1979 dollars.) The insurance industry paid out a record $752 million that stood as the highest insurance payout until Hurricane Hugo ten years later. The total damage can not easily be estimated because of the amount of uninsured damage. Since the last hurricane to strike Alabama of any significance was in 1916 (well before hurricanes were named), the coast had grown complacent. Frederic also dumped eight to twelve inches of rain on the Mobile area, further adding to the devastation. In spite of the high level of property damage only five deaths were directly attributed to Hurricane Frederic in the United States. All but one of those occurred inland. FEMA had been established just three months before Frederick hit. Of the $250 million in federal aid it provided, $188 million went to Alabama, the state with the most need. Structural damage was widespread, with residential, governmental and industrial buildings all rendered uninhabitable or completely destroyed. Ninety percent of the Mobile area lost access to electricity, and many small beach houses there were completely destroyed by high winds. Broken limbs from the Alabama Coast's many massive trees further added to the destruction, taking down power lines and making many roads impassable. In total, eleven counties in Alabama, five in Florida and sixteen in Mississippi were ultimately eligible for disaster aid. Many areas in Alabama and surrounding states qualified for disaster aid. In retrospect, this proved extremely fortunate for those who were already invested and those who saw opportunity on the Alabama Gulf Coast because it leveled the many individual homes and businesses built inland on sand dunes, making way for better construction (and higher priced dwellings, usually with big mortgages). Dauphin Island, where Frederic first made landfall, received $32 million in aid and ultimately rebuilt its bridge. Unfortunately perhaps, this barrier island took full advantage of federal largess to rebuild; since Hurricane Frederic this island has been struck by four hurricanes and has received millions more in federal aid since. The west side of Dauphin Island never gets enough sand to withstand even the next tropical storm, much less a big hurricane. Many people would say that Hurricane Frederick was good for Alabama in general and for Gulf Shores specifically, loss of life and property notwithstanding. The razing of old buildings to make way for new, modern structures that could not only withstand hurricane force winds better but could also house more people per square foot has made this beautiful residential and vacation spot highly sought after and very profitable indeed. Without Hurricane Frederick's destruction, it is highly unlikely that development could have kept pace with the increasing propensity of Americans to flock to the coast. Many others would disagree, especially those who remember when the beach wasn't blocked my dozens of high-rise condos, and anybody could access the beach from almost anywhere. The truth probably lies somewhere in the middle, and if we could all go back and fix it just right... Long time Alabama coast residents and property owners mark time by Hurricane Frederick. For the next twenty-five years the storms that hit the Alabama Gulf Coast were quickly forgotten. Then on September 16, 2004 newer coastal residents got a storm of their own to remember-- Hurricane Ivan. |
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