Impact
When the storm was moving through the Caribbean Sea, it produced rough seas and heavy rainfall. In Jamaica, gusty winds damaged crops, including to corn and plantains.
As the storm moved ashore in Louisiana, outer rainbands produced gale force winds and heavy damage in Pensacola, Florida. At Cat Island offshore Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, strong winds washed several boats ashore. Hurricane conditions began in New Orleans around 8 p.m. local time on August 19. In southeastern Louisiana, Fort St. Philip sustained heavy damage, after it was flooded. Most soldiers in the fort drowned. There was a rumor during the storm that the British took over Fort St. Philip, causing a panic in the midst of the War of 1812; however, the British fleet was scattered throughout the region, and many British ships were damaged. In New Orleans, the hurricane damaged 53 ships, and several boats were washed ashore along Lake Pontchartrain. The USS Louisiana, a cutter commissioned in 1804, was wrecked during the hurricane while at port in New Orleans, and the entire crew except for the captain was killed. Debris and bodies from the ships were dispersed along the lake's coastline. The USS Viper lost its mast while offshore during the storm. Ten people died on the ship "Harlequin".
The storm produced heavy rainfall, along with a powerful storm surge. Flooding up to 15 ft (4.6 m) deep was reported in New Orleans and portions of Plaquemines Parish. In the Parish, 45 people drowned, and there was heavy damage to the sugar crops. The levee system in New Orleans was heavily damaged. The strong waves washed saltwater 75 mi (121 km) up the Mississippi River. High winds damaged most buildings in New Orleans, some of which were destroyed, and most trees were blown down. The city's market house was wrecked, despite being described as "indestructible". Damage was estimated at $6 million (1812 USD), and there were around 100 deaths. Further northwest near Natchez, Mississippi, the storm's winds were strong enough to knock down trees. The barometric pressure there was 986 mbar (29.1 inHg), although the observation was not calibrated and was later corrected to 995 mbar (29.4 inHg) to account for elevation and air temperature.
In the two centuries since the hurricane, the oceans rose about 0.5 ft (0.15 m), the wetlands around New Orleans have diminished, and the elevation has dropped due to subsidence. These have increased the threat to the city of a significant hurricane strike. The 1812 hurricane was not a worst-case scenario for New Orleans, as a stronger and larger hurricane would have caused more damage. If the storm struck in 2012, one researcher estimated the hurricane would have been among the costliest Louisiana hurricanes, comparable to Hurricane Betsy in 1965 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Read more about this topic: 1812 Louisiana Hurricane
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