Hurricane Diane hit the Lehigh Valley in August of 1955. Living in Little Lehigh Manor, I remember huddling in the house, while the metal garbage cans of the era flew around the neighborhood. My father, whose meat market was on Union Street by the Lehigh River, worked throughout the night. Fortunately for him, his market had an second floor backup cooler, and a small freight elevator. While the retail business district on Hamilton Street is elevated enough to be unaffected from flooding, center city Easton was devastated by the Delaware. The next morning was rather surreal for a nine year old boy. A large willow tree on the corner of Lehigh Parkway South and Catalina Ave. was lying on its side. Although the Little Lehigh receded quickly, the park road and basin had been flooded. Diane remains a record in flooding and damage. Let us hope it remains that way.
photo from August 1955. Lehigh River rising by former A&B Meats. The row of houses shown were demolished to make way for a new bridge approach several years later.
reprinted from previous years
I remember this hurricane well, I was 10 at the time and out picking hickory nuts, had a tough time getting home just before dark.
ReplyDeleteWe listened to the wind all night and went out to survey the damage in the morning. Many boy scouts died at Martins Creek, i believe. May have been the worst flooding in this region that I remember.
If you drive down along rt 32 along the Delaware you will see paint marks up on the sides of the cliffs that mark the high water mark.
After the water went down one of our friends swan across the lehigh to the island and retrieved a boat that had been washed down the river. We carried it for about a mile.
The brush piles remained along the river for many years after this flood.
I remember it. We lived in the Parkway, and it flooded over our bridge. The Poconos were hit harder and there was family there.
ReplyDeleteAs I recall, Diane was quite the storm with remnants and reminders still visible when we moved from Allentown to Colonia, NJ in 1960. My Father told me he was working as the head chef at some swanky Pocono resort when he decided to make a run for it... he took as many of his coworkers that he could cram into his new Mercury... they came to a bridge that was nearly underwater and they all agreed to "go for it!!!".... when he looked in his rear view mirror, the bridge collapsed. As I remember the story, many fine folks died at that resort, not sure because they remained or tried to leave.
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