Museum reveals ‘Deadly Dozen’ exhibit on deadliest hurricanes to impact the coast

SOUTHPORT,NC (WWAY) — The Southport Maritime Museum revealed it’s “Deadly Dozen” hurricane exhibit this weekend and it was quite a hit.

The exhibit dives into the history of the 12 deadliest hurricanes that impacted the lower Cape Fear region.

“Brunswick County is one of the largest growing state’s in North Carolina so we have a lot of people who are coming into the region who aren’t familiar with hurricanes and I know a long time ago we were given [the name] ‘Hurricane Alley’ and we just want to teach people how to prepare,” Lori Sanderlin, the museum manager, said.

Starting with Hurricane Hazel and ending with Hurricane Florence, the exhibit’s dynamic display features a handmade weather tower, and the remnants of the Hurricane Hazel warning flag.

“We have an incredible handmade weather tower that looks identical to the one that is out on the Garrison lawn,” Sanderlin said. “This is the same weather tower that we had the hurricane flags run up during Hazel to warn the mariners in the town. So, children and adults can come inside and run miniature hurricane flags up the weather tower.”

There is also an educational interactive that the museum’s educator organized.

“It will show you the track and how difficult or how fast the wind speeds were and what the track was like and then after you see the track, all these newspaper and videos and pictures will come up and of course they are spinning counter clockwise because that’s the way hurricanes will rotate,” Sanderlin said.

Sanderlin said the exhibit ends with one of the 2018 Hurricane’s jerseys to end on a lighter note.

“We have a wonderful Hurricane’s jersey,” Sanderlin said. “Their 2018 roll-out was the double hurricane, which was the hurricane flag on the hockey stick and, if you look in between the two flags, you can see the state of North Carolina and on the back we have 18 and Florence to show North Carolinians are resilient people.”