64 years ago today, Hurricane Donna wreaked havoc on the Eastern Shore

By Charlie Russell

On this day in 1960, one of the strongest and most damaging hurricanes in history struck the Eastern Shore.

Hurricane Donna had formed off of Africa and moved across to enter the Gulf of Mexico after battering Cuba and South Florida’s coast before moving across Florida. It re-emerged in the Atlantic and struck the Outer Banks before moving very close to the Coast, hitting the Eastern Shore of Virginia in the early morning of September 11. Wind gusts of 138 mph were recorded at Cape Henry and gusts of 90 mph on Chincoteague and at Ocean City.

According to an article in the Peninsula Enterprise newspaper, Donna’s effect on the Shore was similar to the August 1933 storm that wreaked havoc on the seaside.

On the bayside, the storm raged in the early morning but the eye passed over at 7 a.m. resulting in calm leading many to believe the storm was over.  At East Point, Charlie Russell awoke early to the screaming of hurricane force winds which then subsided.  He saw his 12 ft aluminum boat being blown about and sent his father Bernard out to secure the boat. But a sudden surge of water and a large gust of wind at around 8 a.m.s ent Bernard running across the yard back to the house.  

The surge of water inundated houses up and down the bayside. Tangier was completely covered with water  and several boats and crab houses were wrecked. Homes in Saxis, Deep Creek, Chesconessex  around the Wharf in Onancock, Harborton, Bayford and Downtown Cape Charles all suffered water damage.

In Deep Creek, the home of Mrs. G.B. Sparrow was washed off of its foundation with Mrs. Sparrow still inside.  Her son in law  Stanley “Jack” Johnson waded through chest high water, dodging crab floats and other debris to rescue Mrs. Sparrow. It was said that the water was so high in Deep Creek that crab floats washed over fences.

In Onancock, the tide swept over the Bagwell Bridge and Ames Street Bridge.

All over the bayside, boats were ripped from their moorings and many ended up stranded on dry land after the water went down.  In East Point a 40 ft. Elco Yacht was washed across the road.   It wasn’t severely damaged and was relaunched with help from a National Guard Duck vehicle the next day. Other boats sunk, including three yachts in Onancock and several work boats on Tangier, and in Deep Creek and Chesconessex. Russell’s aluminum boat was found the next day in Parker’s Creek.

On Chincoteague the roof of the then new school was severely damaged.  There were trees down all over the island. Many island residents went to the mainland or hunkered down at the elementary school or the fire house.

The only fatality was George Bowden of Tangier who, according to the Penninsula Enterprise “fell dead from over exhaustion”.

Electricity and phone service was out all over the Shore and was not completely restored for several  days.

In the days following the storm, the Onancock Fire Department assisted bayside residents by flushing out the mud and seaweed out of many affected homes.

Donna was a transformative hurricane because it moved the County to increase the height above sea level of new homes built after that day.  In many cases homes built on or near the water after September 11, 1960 have not been flooded since.  Over the past 64 years, many homes have been raised in vulnerable areas.

The flooding on the bayside was caused by the passing of the eye and the surge in winds on the back end of the storm.  The winds blew hard from the west southwest pushing water up the bayside creeks causing the flooding.

To this day, one can see marks on the wall at Mallards in Onancock, formerly Hopkins and Brothers Store, and Hooksie’s Oyster House in Bayford showing the level of water during Donna.

The actual peak of the hurricane season was Tuesday and right now, the tropics are coming alive with a Gulf Hurricane and two other possible areas of development in the middle Atlantic.  At this time neither of these disturbances is expected to come our way.  But September is usually the busiest month for hurricanes and we still have three weeks to go.

You can pick up a free copy of the ShoreDailyNews.com Hurricane Survival Guide and locations up and down the Eastern Shore or visit the A&N Electric Hurricane Survival Guide here.