High Water Mark
02 February 2014 -- 33/365
Providence, Rhode Island
The 1938 Hurricane caused extensive flooding in downtown Providence, as commemorated by this maker just above eye level on an 18th century building along the waterfront. These tourists were reading the marker when I stopped to capture the scene. The Hurricane made landfall during a full moon that coincided with the Autumnal Equinox. It was a deadly combination. Coupled with 95-mile per hour winds, a storm surge of 15.8 feet funneled up Narragansett Bay and into the city. Water levels downcity reached 13 feet, flooding buildings up to the second story. (The current street level is significantly higher thanks to construction throughout the late 1900s, effectively lowering the height of the marker.) The hurricane destroyed the shore dinner halls at both Rocky Point and Crescent Park, although both would rebuild after the storm. When Hurricane Carol in 1954 produced an even higher storm surge and similar flooding, the state decided to build the Fox Point Hurricane Barrier. Completed in 1966, the barrier has yet to be tested in a storm surge rivaling either the '38 or '54 hurricanes.
Post processing started with a classic filter in Topaz B&W FX. I adjusted color sensitivity sliders, adaptive exposure, regions, contrast, and boost black. A levels adjustment was added in PSE.
