The hurricane Okeechobee , also known as hurricane San Felipe Segundo , is one of the deadliest storms in history recorded in the North Atlantic basin. The fourth tropical cyclone, the third storm, and only a major storm in the 1928 season, the system developed only off the coast of western Africa on 6 September. Originally a tropical depression, it reinforced into a tropical storm later on, just before passing south of the Cape Verde Islands. Further intensification was slow and stopped at the end of September 7. About 48 hours later, the storm came back strong and became a category 1 hurricane at the modern Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale. Still moving west, the system reached Category 4 intensity before attacking Guadeloupe on 12 September. There, the storm brought "great destruction" and 1,200 deaths. The islands of Martinique, Montserrat and Nevis also reported damage and fatalities, but not as severe as in Guadeloupe.
At about noon on September 13, the storm rose to a Category 5 hurricane and peaked at 160 mph (260 km/h). About six hours later, the system made landfall in Puerto Rico; it remains the only one recorded Category 5 to attack the island in 2018. A very strong wind caused severe damage in Puerto Rico. Across the island, about 24,728 houses were destroyed and 192,444 damaged, leaving more than 500,000 people homeless. Heavy rain also causes extreme damage to vegetation and vegetation. In Puerto Rico alone, there are 312 deaths and about $ 50 million USD ($ 713 million today) in damages. As it crosses the island and appears in the Atlantic, the storm weakens slightly, falling to Category 4 intensity. The storm began crossing the Bahamas on September 16, where it resulted in 18 fatalities.
Beginning on September 17, the storm made landfall near West Palm Beach, Florida, with a 145 mph (233 km/h) wind. In town, more than 1,711 houses were destroyed. Elsewhere in the area, the most severe impacts around Lake Okeechobee. The storm surge caused water to flow out from the southern edge of the lake, flooding hundreds of square miles as high as 20 feet (6.1 m) above the ground. Many houses and buildings are wiped out in Belle Glade towns, Canal Point, Chosen, Pahokee and South Bay. At least 2,500 people drowned, while damage was estimated at $ 25 million. As it crosses Florida, the system weakens significantly, falling to Category 1 intensity on September 17. Curved north-northeast and briefly re-emerged into the Atlantic on September 18, but soon made another landing near Edisto Island, South Carolina, with 85 mph winds (140 km/h). The next day, the system weakened into a tropical storm and became extratropical over North Carolina a few hours later. Overall, the system caused $ 100 million of damage and at least 4,079 deaths.
Video 1928 Okeechobee hurricane
Meteorological history
On September 6, the ship reported a tropical depression that developed off the west coast of Africa near Dakar, Senegal. The next day, a ship reported a wind at 60 mph (95 km/h), or a tropical storm; on this basis, the Atlantic hurricane reanalysis project estimates that the system achieved tropical storm status by the end of September 6. However, the lack of observations over the next few days prevented the system from being classified in real time when moving generally westward across the Atlantic Ocean. On September 10th, S.S. Commack first observed a storm about 900 miles (1450 km) east of Guadeloupe, which at the time was the easternmost report of a tropical storm ever received on ship radio. Later in the day, two other ships confirmed the intensity of the storm, and the Storm Research Division estimated it was strengthened to a storm at 18:00 UTC on September 10.
As the storm approached the Lesser Antilles, the storm continued to rise. Between 17:30 and 18:30 UTC on September 12, the eye of the storm moved over Guadeloupe with a barometric pressure of 937 millibars (27.7 inHg), indicating maximum sustained winds of 225 km/h (140 mph), or Category 4 on scale Saffir-Simpson. Continuing west-northwest, the storm passed about 10 mi (16 km) south of Saint Croix before approaching Puerto Rico. On September 13, the 15 million (25 km) eyes crossed Puerto Rico within eight hours from southeast to northwest, moving to the beach near Guayama and out between Aguadilla and Isabela. A ship near the southern coast reported a pressure of 931 mbar (27.5 inHg), and a cup anemometer in San Juan reported a sustained wind of 160 mph (257 km/h) before it failed. Since the wind station is 30 miles (50 km) north of the center of the storm, the wind near an unofficial landing point is estimated at 200 mph (320 km/h). On this basis, the storm is believed to have made landfall in Puerto Rico as a Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale, although there is uncertainty in peak intensity, due to the large size and slow movement of the storm.
After emerging from Puerto Rico, the storm has weakened to a wind around 140 mph (240 km/h), based on a 941 mbar (27.8 Hg) pressure reading at Isabela. The storm swept across the northern coast of Hispaniola as it moved west-northwest, gradually reinforcing it. On September 15, the ship drove within 35 mi (55 km) of Grand Turk, where wind time increased to 155 mph (250 km/h). The storm continues through the Bahamas as a powerful Category 4 storm, passing near Nassau at 10:00 UTC on September 16. Initially, Richard Gray of the US Weather Bureau is optimistic that the storm will save South Florida. However, at 00:00 UTC on September 17, a major storm made landfall in southeast Florida near West Palm Beach, with an approximate 145 mph (230 km/h) wind. This is based on a reading of 929 mbar pressure (27.4 in HG) in the city, which at the time was the lowest pressure reading on the mainland of the United States; this broke the previous record of 935 mbar (27.6 inHg) set during the Miami storm of 1926. The blast peak was estimated at about 160 mph (260 km/h) at Canal Point.
The storm quickly weakened as he drove inland and moved over Lake Okeechobee, although his large size allowed him to maintain storm status for several more days. On September 17, the storm returned to the northeast and passed near Jacksonville the next day with a 75 mph (120 km/h) wind. At 08: 00, UTC on September 18, the storm once again reached open water. Later that day, a hurricane strengthened slightly above open water, making the second US landing near Edisto Island, South Carolina, at 19:00 UTC with 85 mph (140 km/h) wind. With acceleration to the northeast, the system quickly weakened into a tropical storm in North Carolina. On September 19, the storm evolved into an extratropical cyclone, though it was slightly reinforced into storm status. It turned north-northwest, moving quickly through the eastern United States. On September 21st, a previous storm was lost in Ontario, after joining other distractions.
Maps 1928 Okeechobee hurricane
Impact
Leeward Islands
The storm moved directly over the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean Sea, reinforcing when it happened. On the island Dominica winds clocked at 24 mph (39 km/h); there were no reports of damage, even though one death occurred. In Martinique, further south of the storm road, there were three fatalities. Guadeloupe received a direct attack from the storm, apparently with a bit of warning; the death toll was 1,200, and damage reports submitted through Paris showed "great destruction" on the island. About three-quarters of the island's population is homeless. In the Saint-FranÃÆ'§ois community, the only structure to remain standing is a police station, built with reinforced concrete. To the east of the city, the merchant ship Albatros , carrying 80 piles of rum, drowned. The crew and the five men who tried to save the ship sank. Approximately 85% -95% of banana plants are destroyed, 70% -80% of tree plants are severely damaged, and 40% of sugarcane crops are damaged.
Montserrat, just north of the center of the storm, had been warned before the storm but still suffered Ã, £ 150,000 (1928 UKP) in damage and 42 deaths; Plymouth and Salem were destroyed and crop losses caused a near hunger condition before help arrived. All commercial and government buildings on the island are destroyed, as are more than 600 homes. Saint Kitts and Nevis are also suffering greatly. On the island of St. Kitts, a number of houses built on a wooden foundation were destroyed. Nine deaths were reported, six of which occurred as a result of the collapse of the school building. Thirteen people were killed on the island of Nevis.
The storm destroyed hundreds of homes in Antigua, including the home of a doctor and a "poor house". Government offices, hospitals, and schools were also damaged. In Saint Croix, nearly all of the island's 11,000 inhabitants suffer losses. A total of 143 buildings were destroyed, including a sugar factory. The storm left nine deaths on the island. Across the Virgin Islands, as many as 700,000 people become homeless.
Puerto Rico
As the storm passed near Dominica, San Juan, the Weather Bureau of Puerto Rico warned of the threat of a storm that would strike the island in a day or two. The counsel was sent by telegraph to 75 police districts and broadcast from navy radio stations every two hours; this is the first storm warning broadcast by radio. Warning is also installed for 12 ports along the south coast, causing ships to avoid the island or remain at the harbor. Effective preparation is credited for a relatively low number of 312 deaths, and not one ship was lost in the sea around Puerto Rico. By comparison, the lethargic San Ciriaco storm of 1899 killed about 3,000 people.
According to the San Juan National Weather Service, the storm "is hurricane and damaging [sic] anywhere in Puerto Rico." Along the path of the storm, the eye passes Guayama, Cayey, and Aibonito, producing a calming period of 20 minutes. The island of Puerto Rico received the worst wind storm as the storm moved directly across the island in the power of Category 5. The storm was enormous as it crosses Puerto Rico. Storm-force winds are measured in Guayama for 18 hours; because the storm is thought to have moved at 13 mph (21 km/h), the storm winds are estimated to be very roughly 234 miles (376 km).
The storm was named San Felipe II Hurricane because the eye of a typhoon made a landing on St. Philip's Christian holiday. It was named "Segundo", Spanish for "Second", because of another destructive "San Felipe" storm that struck Puerto Rico on the same day in 1876. Since the arrival of Europeans in America in 1492 all storms and hurricanes were named after the name of the saint on the day of the storm hit Puerto Rico. In 1953 the United States began to name hurricanes with female names until 1978 when both gender names came into use. But it was not until 1960 that the storm was officially named after the saints.
Rainfall recorded on 13-14 September 1928, remains the record for the maximum rainfall associated with storms in Puerto Rico within forty-eight hours. In areas where rainfall is a more common place, such as in Adjuntas in the Central Cordillera and in Sierra de Luquillo, it rains more than 25 inches (640 mm), with 29.60 inches (752 mm) recorded at Adjuntas. An anemometer located in Puerta de Tierra lost one of the trophies at 11:44 am on September 13, just when it had recorded a maximum speed of 150 miles (240 km) per hour - a speed maintained for five minutes in a row. Previously the same instrument had measured 160 miles (260 km) per hour for one minute. Since this measurement was taken 30 miles (48 km) from the eyes of San Felipe, at the time, it seems likely that some estimates of 200 miles (320 km) per hour near the center of the storm were not too numerous.
There was a general ruin on the island, with cities where the eyes passed swept away. Damage to property on the island due to wind and rain is a major disaster. The northeastern part of the island receives a wind that exceeds the power of Category 3, with a storm wind lasting for 18 hours. The official report says "several hundred thousand" people are homeless, and property damage is estimated at $ 50 million.
On the island there are no buildings that are not affected. Some sugar factories ("Centrales") who have spent millions of dollars to build are reduced to rubble. Reports say that 24,728 homes were destroyed and 192,444 partially destroyed. Most of the sugarcane fields are flooded, damaging crops this year. Half of the coffee crop and half of the shady tree covering it are destroyed; almost all the coffee harvest is gone. The coffee industry will take years to recover because coffee needs a protective tree to grow. Tobacco plantations also suffered huge losses. After this storm, Puerto Rico never regained its position as a major coffee exporter.
Communication is affected by fallen trees, landslides, and damaged bridges. From 770 school buildings destroyed or damaged. According to some day estimates, excluding personal losses, the damage reached $ 85.312 million and more than 500,000 people lost their homes. Until Hurricane Maria 89 years later, San Felipe II was officially classified as the biggest, worst, and most devastating storm in Puerto Rico that once affected the island.
Big Antilles and Bahamas
After affecting Puerto Rico, the cyclone crossed the north of the Dominican Republic, resulting in little damage. This is caused by a small core and a weaker wind to the south of the center. A follow-up warning reduces the number of vessels passing through the area.
While the storm passed nearby, Grand Turk reported a 120 mph (193 km/h) wind. According to ship reports in the region, "The power of the wind... can only be judged by the noise created by the storm, which reminds me of the New York subway going full speed through a switch." Wind approached 120 mph (193 km/h) in Nassau before the anemometer failed. In addition to the wind, the storm dropped heavy rain in the area, for a total of 9 at (228 mm) in Nassau. As in Puerto Rico, the authorities in the Bahamas have many warnings about the approach of the storm, and preparations to minimize the loss of life on the islands. Two boats were destroyed when they were stranded in Grand Turk, although the crew survived. A lifeboat crossing from Ambergris Caye to the lost Grand Turk, killing all 18 people in it. The storm caused massive damage throughout the Bahamas, mostly for property and crops.
In Nassau, some of the buildings that were recently repaired after Nassau's 1926 storm was destroyed during this storm. A 10-year-old girl sank after falling into an open trench filled with water. At Fort Montague Hotel, windows, doors, and furniture were badly damaged. Similar impacts are reported in the Royal Victoria Hotel, while the British Colonial Hotel is largely spared. However, the parks in the three hotels are "almost unrecognizable".
At Bimini, a continuous wind of 140 mph (230 km/h) was observed, causing considerable damage to the building. Ninety-five houses and several other buildings, including some churches and government buildings, were damaged or destroyed in Eleuthera. Minor damage was reported on Rum Cay. Most food crops are destroyed. In San Salvador Island, four buildings were destroyed, including two churches, while several other buildings suffered minor damage. Food crops are almost destroyed.
Florida
As hurricanes move across the Bahamas, the Weather Bureau gives a storm warning from Miami to Titusville, which then increases the storm warning from Miami to Daytona Beach. The agency advised residents to take precautions for the storm, citing the potency of strong winds and waves. Hurricane warnings were also installed for the west coast from Punta Rassa to Apalachicola, and after a storm was repeated, a storm warning extended along the east coast to Jacksonville. Due to well-issued storm warnings, residents prepare for the storm, and the number of lives lost in the Palm Beach beach area is only 26.
Strong winds hit southern Florida as a typhoon moved ashore, with three unofficial reports of 100 mph (160 km/h). In Miami in the south of the center, winds reach 78 mph (126 km/h), and further south, Key West reports winds of only 39 mph (63 km/h). The eyes on the mainland dropped 25 miles (40 km), and after moving inland across Lake Okeechobee, where quiet was reported for 30 minutes. Winds at Canal Point, adjacent to the lake, are estimated to be as high as 160 mph (255 km/h); anemometer exploded after reporting ongoing winds of 75 mph (120 km/h). The pressure at the Canal Point dropped to 942 mbar (27.82 inHg). The lowest pressure in northern Lake Okeechobee is 966 mbar (28.54 in Hg) in Bartow, and along the west coast, winds reach 31 mph (50 km/h) in Tampa.
The storm caused thousands of homeless people in Florida; Property damage is estimated at $ 25 million ($ 356 million). It is estimated that if the same storm will strike in 2003, it will cause $ 18.7 billion in damage. This typhoon remains one of three Atlantic storms to strike southern Florida with central pressure below 940 mbar (27.76 in Hg), the other being Miami's 1926 storm and Hurricane Andrew in 1992.
In addition to human fatalities, 1,278 cattle and 47,389 birds were killed, respectively. Agriculture is significantly affected, with the storm destroying what might be "the largest citrus crop in industrial history". About 6% of oranges and 18% of grapefruit are destroyed, respectively. Harvesting of the remaining crops was postponed until mid-October because the forest was inundated. Communication is also suffering greatly. Across the state, 32,000 households were left without telephone service and 400 poles were damaged and about 2,500 others reclined. Then-Florida Governor John W. Martin estimates that 15,000 families are displaced in Palm Beach County alone. In addition, about 11,500 families will need to be "re-established".
South Florida Coastal
In Miami, the damage is minimal, limited to broken windows and awnings. In Hollywood and Fort Lauderdale, windows and roofs are damaged, although the damage is still quite small. Plenty of power lines and phone cables falling in both. To the north, from Pompano Beach to Jupiter, the building was seriously damaged by strong winds and a 10 foot (3 m) storm surge. Nearly all small skeletal houses were destroyed in Deerfield Beach, while some residents estimated that at least 50% of homes were destroyed. The post offices, depots, and business blocks of the city were also destroyed. An eight-year-old boy drowned in a ditch near his family's home for protection. In Boca Raton, two garages and several houses were destroyed. At the Cloister Inn, the windows were broken and the roof was broken; across the street, 32 train carriage wagons along the East Coast of Florida Train were thrown by the wind to the nearby moat. Short distance to the north, the warehouse leveled. A building occupied by a restaurant and a flattened shop. In Delray Beach, four churches were severely damaged and Alta Repp and Seacrest hotels lost their roofs. Police reported three deaths inside the city. In Delray Beach and Lantana, all the houses and railway stations were badly damaged. At Boynton Beach, about 75% of businesses are totally destroyed. Fifteen people were injured by the collapse of the roof while taking shelter in a high school auditorium.
In Lake Worth, about 50% of homes are damaged or destroyed, while 75% of buildings in the business district are damaged. The impact is along the worst beach in Palm Beach. Total coastal damage is estimated as "several million" dollars. In West Palm Beach, the storm destroyed 1,711 homes and damaged 6,369 others, and destroyed 268 businesses and impacted 490 other businesses; the city suffered the worst damage, totaling just under $ 13.8 million. Likewise, there is also severe wind damage in Palm Beach. Some buildings built by Henry Flagler, such as The Breakers, Royal Poinciana Hotel, and Whitehall, were damaged. Mar-a-Lago suffered little impact besides fallen trees and the destruction of large Roman-style windows, according to Marjorie Merriweather Post. Rodman Wanamaker's home, known as "La Guerida" and later "Winter White House" during John F. Kennedy's presidency, suffered heavy damage during the storm. The Alba, Billows, New Palm Beach, and Royal Daneli Hotel all suffered water damage, while Alba Hotel was also deroofed. Nearby, the Pelangi Dock only received structural damage to its railing, though the dock office was blown up. About 600 buildings, including 10 hotels, were damaged in Palm Beach. The damage amounts to more than $ 2 million.
The strongest winds on eyewall affect the northern part of Palm Beach County, especially around Jupiter, as the eye lands further south. In Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse, mortars were reported to be "squeezed... like toothpaste" between bricks during a storm, swinging the 17th tower at (430 mm) from the base. The lighthouse keeper, Captain Seabrook, and his son, Franklin, worked to turn on the light during the storm after the power went out. Once the generator fails to work, they instantly turn on the light coat. The building previously used as a Weather Bureau Office was destroyed. Nearby, six people were killed after a house was destroyed. Six other casualties occurred to the west of Jupiter after the school where people were looking for shelters collapsed.
Lake Okeechobee and Everglades
Inland, hurricanes bring wider destruction along the more populous coast of Lake Okeechobee. Residents had been warned to evacuate low ground earlier in the day, but after the storm did not come on schedule, many thought it had escaped and returned to their homes. In the weeks before the storm, heavy rains caused the lake to rise 3Ã, ft (0.91 m) between August 10 and September 10 and fill the canals and moats nearby. Rainfall from the storm itself causes Okeechobee Lake to rise even further. When the worst storm crossed the lake, the wind blew south causing a storm surge overflowing a small embankment built on the southern edge of the lake. The resulting flood covers an area of ​​hundreds of square miles with water in some places more than 20 feet (6 m). Homes are shattered from their foundations and smashed into pieces against whatever obstacles they encounter. Most of the victims and corpses were washed into the Everglades where many bodies were never found. Agricultural losses in the area around Lake Okeechobee are also significant, with almost all the crops destroyed and over 150 tractors damaged.
When the back spies pass through the area, the flood reverses itself, destroying the embankment along the north shore of the lake and causing similar but smaller floods. Route 98, later known as Conner's Highway, closed until January, when the bridge across the Onosohatchee River at Taylor Creek was replaced after the original bridge was performed about 150 feet (46 m) upstream during the storm. In Okeechobee County, homes along the lake are destroyed by storm surges, while residence within the town of Okeechobee is severely affected or destroyed by winds of at least 90 mph (140 km/h). Nevertheless, houses built of brick and concrete received little damage. A number of three-story business buildings collapsed during a storm. Almost all roads are allowed to pass, while communications are almost destroyed. Overall, 27 deaths occurred in Okeechobee County. Along the southwest coast of Lake Okeechobee, the towns of Clewiston and Moore Haven are both flooded, but much of the house damage due to strong winds.
On Kreamer Island, many residents received information about the storm when it was too late to evacuate. In some homes, 20-30 people seek shelter inside and then stand on tables and chairs to stay on the water. Most of the houses drift into pine trees and others more than half a mile (0.8 km). Nevertheless, only one person drowned on the island. The inhabitants of Torry Island also do not have enough time to prepare for the storm. They tried to evacuate, but the highway was already inundated, forcing twenty-three people to seek refuge in the packing house. Flood water enters the building, forcing the occupants into the rafters. However, the building was eventually pushed to the nearest canal. Ten people drowned, but thirteen others survived by clinging to a barge or tree top, while a woman tied herself to a telegraph pole. The other survivors were swept away from where the building used to stand or barge. A teenage boy was taken from packing to the Everglades Experimental Station in Belle Glade - a distance of about 8 mi (13 km). On Ritta Island, a number of people who managed to climb onto the roof of their house were startled by trees or received a fatal bite from moccasin water.
In the South Bay, almost all houses are destroyed and some buildings are not kept secret. At least 160 deaths occurred in the city. The first mayor of the future South Bay, Aubrey (aka "Orb" or "AO") Walker, along with his brother, Haughty D. Walker, (aka "Haught"), survived a great cyclone in 1928 by gathering family members and joining a other South Bay residents in a barge on the canal that lets them survive the flood that swept the South Gulf and eventually engulfed Okeelanta. Throughout the 1920s, Okeelanta suffered several floods and fires. Eventually, the city was severely flooded during the storm and then abandoned. Bean City was also destroyed during the storm, but was eventually rebuilt by Arthur Wells. Sebring Farms is reduced to a pile of rubber, with only four tall palm trees remaining standing. Only hotels in Miami Locks survived the storm. Ninety-nine people were killed in the city. In Chosen, only two people escaped from a sheltered home of nineteen people. Twenty other residents took shelter in a building that lost its roof during a storm, forcing residents to move into the restroom. A house full of people drifts about half a mile (0.8 km) from its original location. The refugees did not realize that the house was moving until it collided with a train embankment.
Floods continued for several weeks, severely hampering efforts to clean up the destruction. Funeral services were quickly overwhelmed, and many bodies were placed into mass graves. About 75% of casualties are migrant farm workers, making identification of dead and missing corpses extremely difficult; as a result, the dead count is not very accurate. The Red Cross estimates the death toll as 1,836, regarded as the official count by the National Weather Service for years (and exactly the official count for Hurricane Katrina). Older sources usually mention 3,411 as the total number of fatalities, including the Caribbean. However, in 2003 the number of US deaths was revised to "at least" 2,500, making the Okeechobee storm the second deadliest natural disaster in US history behind the Galveston storm of 1900. A mass grave at Mayaca Port Cemetery in eastern Port of Mayaca contains 1,600 victims of storm.
Central and North Florida
In Fort Myers, property damage is few, limited mainly to a number of small boats and fishing shacks along the seaside. Nearly all cigar factories in Tampa were closed after wind and rain pushed too much moisture into the building. Offshore, fishermen slapped Wallace A. McDonnell stranded near Piney Point, despite all the crew survived. In addition, the Cuban schooner Isabel Alvado sank off the coast of Boca Grande. The crew, who were immigrants, were rescued by Coast Guard and later deported. In Martin County, a bridge connecting Stuart and Palm City was badly damaged and closed to traffic. A temporary ferry service across the St. Lucie was established and operated until bridge repair was completed in the summer of 1929. At Fort Pierce, most of the impact was limited to coastal areas. A warehouse, a fish house, a pier, and a bridge across the Indian River were destroyed, while some other buildings were not tidied up. Damages in the city amounted to about $ 150,000.
In the hinterlands of Central and North Florida, the impact is limited to agricultural losses, especially oranges, although wind damage occurs in structures. Between Sebring and Lake Wales, 200 telephone poles were overthrown. In Bartow, windows of business buildings were destroyed and signs collapsed, while some roofs and chimneys were also damaged. Winds blowing up to 70 mph (110 km/h) rocked Lakeland. Many fallen trees and some affected buildings, including hospitals and a number of businesses. At Florida Southern College (FSC), the north side of the gymnasium collapsed while other buildings on campus were damaged to a lesser extent. The trees in the orange groves around the FSC lost much of its fruit. Overall, Lakeland suffered about $ 50,000 in damage. In Orlando, the impact on the property is described as slightly. Winds of up to 50 mph (80 km/h) impacted the Jacksonville area, resulting in minor damage in Jacksonville Beach.
Elsewhere
Outside Florida, the damage in the United States is small from the storm. In Georgia, the low streets are flooded or drifted in the Savannah area. In addition, the trees and power grids are shed by the wind. Heavy rain occurred from eastern Florida through the coast of Georgia, Carolina, and southeast Virginia. The highest rainfall is 12.53 inches (318 mm) in Darlington, South Carolina. The storm caused flooding in North Carolina and brought a typhoon-power and storm surge of 7 feet (2.1 m) into the Norfolk region. After the storm became extraordinary, the wind field became very large. Atlantic City, New Jersey, recorded winds of 76 mph (122 km/h) despite being far from the center.
Aftermath
Immediately after the storm, help came from nearby areas such as Miami. Early September 18, the train leaving Miami brought 20 doctors and 20 nurses to West Palm Beach. The Southern Red Cross Citizens Assistance Committee, set up to provide assistance to storm victims, sent "hundreds of loaves of bread, gallons of milk, coffee and sugar powder, blankets, cots and medical supplies." The first aid train was driven by US Senator Joseph T. Robinson, a vice presidential candidate from the Democratic Party during the election that year. At least 100 people were taken to Miami for medical treatment. In Lake Worth, 25 people were treated for various injuries at the Gulf Stream Hotel and the local fire station. Dr. W. A. ​​Claxton, head of the Miami Public Welfare Department, is asking for antitoxin, serum typhoid, and at least 200 tetanus serums. There is also demand for 1,000 more cots in West Palm Beach and Kelsey City.
Racial issues
In Florida, although the devastation of the cyclone affects everything in its path, the death toll is much higher and after the worst in poor economic areas in the lowlands around Lake Okeechobee, such as Belle Glade, Chosen, Pahokee, South Bay and Bean City. Approximately 75% of the deaths are among migrant farm workers, most of whom are black.
Black workers do most of the post-hurricane cleaning work, and some of the coffins available for burials are mostly used for whites' bodies. In addition, white victims receive decent burial at the Woodlawn Cemetery in downtown West Palm Beach, which is the only mass grave to receive timely warnings.
Instead, the bodies of black victims were burned in firewood or buried into mass graves like those in West Palm Beach and Port Mayaca.
Robert Hazard, a resident of West Palm Beach, founded Storm of '28 Memorial Park Coalition Inc. to fight for the recognition of black storm victims. In 2000, the West Palm Beach cemetery site was repurchased by the city of West Palm Beach and plans to build the commemoration began. The site is listed on the US National Historic Site List in 2002 and country history markers were added in 2003 during the 75th anniversary of the storm.
The effects of storms on black migrant workers are dramatized in the novel semi-novel African-American writer Zora Neale Hurston, Their Eye Being Watching God, his most famous work and selection on TIME/the 2005 magazine of the 100 best English novels published since 1923.
Upgraded building codes
In the aftermath of a storm on the Florida coast, it became clear that well built buildings with windows practically did not suffer wind damage which caused serious structural problems in the lower buildings. Buildings with well-built frames, and made of steel, concrete, bricks, or stones are mostly immune to the wind, and the use of shutters prevents damage to windows and building interiors. Coming on the heels of a Miami 1926 storm where the same pattern has been noticed, one of the eternal results of the 1928 storm was the improvement of building codes.
Flood control
To prevent a recurrence of such disasters and the Great Miami Hurricane of 1926, the Florida State Legislature created the Okeechobee Flood Control District, authorized to cooperate with the US Army Engineer Corps in the field of flood control. After a private inspection of the area by President Herbert Hoover, the Corps drafted a new plan provided for the construction of floodways, control gates, and the main embankment along the shore of Lake Okeechobee. Long-term systems are designed for flood control purposes, water conservation, seawater intrusion prevention, and conservation of fish and wildlife populations. One solution is the development of Dike Herbert Hoover. Today, concerns related to the stability of the embankment have grown in response to research showing long-term problems with "piping" and erosion. Leaks have been reported after some torrential rain events. The proposed solutions to the embankment problem include the construction of seepage settlement on the land side of the embankment, with the first phase costing approximately $ 67 million (US $).
See also
- 1926 Miami hurricane
- List of Atlantic hurricanes
- Category List 5 Atlantic storm
- Florida Storm List
- Hurricane Irma - A huge storm following a similar path, and also affecting Florida
- Hurricane Maria - the second strongest storm to hit Puerto Rico
References
External links
- Florida Hurricane Forgotten
- NOAA Okeechobee Hurricane Memorial
- Storm damage record
- National Weather Service Memorial page
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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