Huron County Museum curator Patricia Hamilton shows artifacts from The Great Storm 1913 to Global News Toronto reporter Mark McAllister and cameraman Ben Jonah.
Bullet News GODERICH – A news story about the ‘white hurricane’ that whipped up the Great Lakes nearly 100 years ago is in the lineup for tonight’s Global News Toronto, told alongside stories about the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.
“Everything surrounding Sandy and what is happening along the east coast in the United States and ultimately what came up through Canada prompted us to think about putting this in context. Where do we put Sandy in context with other great storms in Canada’s history?” said Mark McAllister, a reporter for Global News.
The news team conducted interviews and gathered video during a visit to The Great Storm 1913 display at the Huron County Museum, the lighthouse and historic plaque overlooking Goderich Harbour, and the Homan residence which houses a painting of the Wexford, a ship that went down in the storm and was finally discovered in 2000. They also travelled by tug boat into the harbour for shots of the breakwall and shoreline.
“Now that there’s a centennial to be had next year, there’s no better time to pay a visit to Goderich and discover the history surrounding what happened here,” he said.
The two-minute news story is slated as part of Global News Toronto’s broadcast at 5:30 p.m. tonight.
Members of a committee organizing a centenary of The Great Storm, Nov. 9, 1913, hosted the news team. During the three-day storm almost one hundred years ago, 19 ships were either total or constructive losses and more than 260 people died. Much of the wreckage washed up along Huron County’s shoreline. A committee based in Goderich was charged with the task of recovering and identifying crews’ bodies.
Local historian Paul Carroll said Hurricane Sandy repeated the pattern of the storm that hit this area in 1913, with it tracking north and then twisting around. The difference is that this most recent hurricane came up of the east side of the United States, while the storm one hundred years ago came up the west side.
He pointed out the similarities in a post on the Weather Network’s site yesterday, along with a report from the meteorological office published in The Globe at the time of The Great Storm. Carroll’s posted led to a phone call from Global News with a story request.
Plans are under way for The Great Lakes Storm 1913: A Remembrance, with a two month lead-up of special events in September and October next year, culminating in a three-day community gathering, Nov. 8, 9 and 10.
(Oct. 31 Note: If you missed the broadcast, just follow this link http://goo.gl/HSVpw)
