It was 60 years ago on this date that remnants of Hurricane Hazel slammed into southern Ontario, including the GTA, leaving behind a trail of destruction.

On Oct. 15, 1954, the hurricane made landfall near Myrtle Beach, S.C. and ravaged islands in the Caribbean and Bahamas.

The effects of the hurricane pounded Toronto with winds topping 110 km/h, washing out bridges and homes.

Around 285 millimetres of rain fell in 48 hours, causing the Humber River to breach its banks, leading to destruction in the Toronto area. Bodies were also carried away as far away as Rochester, N.Y.

In Toronto, more than 30 people died on Raymore Drive — a street that runs parallel to the Humber River, just south of Lawrence Avenue, alone.

The storm claimed the lives of 81 people in southern Ontario and left thousands homeless.

Click here to read more information on how the storm impacted Humber River.

If the storm occurred today, it would cause an estimated $1 billion in damage.

Mobile users click here to watch a video about the lessons learned from the storm.

Hurricane Hazel by the numbers (courtesy of hurricanehazel.ca)

285

Millimetres of rain that fell during the storm in Toronto

249

Hazel’s maximum speed (km/h) in the Caribbean

81

Number of people in Ontario who died from the flooding

4,000

Number of families left homeless in southern Ontario from the flood (1,868 in Toronto)

32

Houses on Raymore Drive that were washed away by floods

4

Magnitude of Hazel at the maximum rating prior to landfall on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane scale

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