On October 15, 1954 Hurricane Hazel struck the island of Holden Beach at high tide, with winds exceeding 241 km/h. This mighty storm decimated the island, leveling all but 12 of the 300 cottages. Storms surges caused overwash events throughout the island, and even reopened Mary’s Inlet. This inlet was artificially closed during the summer of 1955 by the Army Corps of Engineers.