hurricane carla was one of two category 5 tropical cyclones. it hit the texas shore in the 1961 atlantic hurricane season as a category 4 hurricane, becoming one of the most powerful storms to ever strike the united states. hurricane carla was the second strongest storm to ever hit the texas shore. the storm caused over $2 billion (2005 us dollars) in damages, but because over 500,000 people who lived there moved out only 43 were killed.