text: hurricane gordon ( 1994 ) hurricane gordon was a long - lived and catastrophic late - season hurricane of the 1994 atlantic hurricane season . the twelfth and final tropical cyclone of the season , gordon formed in the southwestern caribbean on november 8 . without strengthening , the storm made landfall on nicaragua . later on november 10 , the storm began to strengthen as it tracked further from land , and it quickly strengthened into tropical storm gordon , the seventh named storm that season . gordon also made landfalls in jamaica and cuba while a minimal tropical storm . it entered the southwestern atlantic while resembling a subtropical cyclone . by the time it entered the gulf of mexico , it was fully tropical again . tropical storm gordon later crossed the florida keys , and turning to the northeast it made landfall in fort myers , florida . gordon strengthened after it re - entered the atlantic ocean , becoming a hurricane on november 17 . it briefly threatened north carolina while turning to the northwest , although it turned to the south and weakened . gordon deteriorated into a tropical depression and struck florida again at that intensity on november 20 . it turned to the north and dissipated the next day over south carolina . gordon first caused flooding in northern costa rica that destroyed 700 houses and caused $ 30 million in damage . there were six deaths in the country and an additional two deaths in neighboring panama . upon affecting jamaica , the storm was responsible $ 11 . 8 million in damage and four deaths . damage was heaviest in haiti , after a prolonged southwesterly flow dropped 14 in ( 360 mm ) of rainfall in a 24 ‑ hour period . the rains resulted in extensive mudslides and flooding that disrupted transportation and damaged 10 , 800 houses , with another 3 , 500 destroyed . there were 1 , 122 deaths in the country , partially due to deforested hills , and damage was estimated at $ 50 million . in neighboring dominican republic , there were five additional deaths , as well as flooding near its capital . in cuba , gordon caused $ 100 million in damage , and 5 , 906 houses were damaged or destroyed . due to large - scale evacuations , there were only two deaths in the country . in florida , the storm caused $ 400 million in damage ( 1994 usd , $ 639 million 2016 usd ) , much of it agricultural , and there were eleven deaths , eight of them direct . gordon later affected north carolina with high waves , causing beach erosion and destroying five houses . overall damage was $ 594 million due to gordon ( 1994 usd , $ 948 million 2016 usd ) . international governments and agencies through the united nations sent relief supplies and monetary assistance to haiti , following gordon 's devastating impact there . american soldiers were already stationed in the country to restore ousted jean - bertrand aristide to presidency . the troops helped in rescues and worked to restore a damaged road between port - au - prince and jacmel . despite the damage , the name was not retired . meteorological history the origins of gordon were from a tropical wave in the southwestern caribbean sea , which developed a circulation north of panama early on november 6 . it gradually organized , becoming tropical depression twelve on november 8 offshore eastern nicaragua . proximity to land prevented strengthening , and early on november 10 it made landfall near puerto cabezas , nicaragua . shortly thereafter , an upper - level trough turned the depression to the northeast , and late on november 10 it intensified into tropical storm gordon after reaching open waters . the circulation of the cyclone was initially very broad , covering much of the western caribbean sea , and wind shear prevented significant strengthening . early on november 13 , gordon struck jamaica near kingston as a minimal tropical storm , and later that day made landfall near guantánamo bay , cuba . around the time of gordon crossing jamaica , an upper - level trough spawned a low - level disturbance over the central bahamas . from surface synoptic reports , the national hurricane center estimates tropical storm gordon rapidly crossed cuba and became the dominant system between cuba and the bahamas , but other meteorologists believe gordon dissipated and that a second cyclone became the dominant system . the resultant storm north of cuba became much larger , spreading rain across much of florida . a ridge to the north turned gordon to the west - northwest , and by november 14 the cloud pattern resembled that of a subtropical cyclone , with little convection near and the strongest winds well - removed from the center . the storm paralleled the northern coast of cuba and gradually developed convection near the center . on november 15 , the broad center crossed the florida keys near key west . an approaching trough turned gordon to the northeast , bringing it ashore near fort myers , florida on november 16 with winds of 50 mph ( 85 km / h ) . tropical storm gordon crossed the florida peninsula in about nine hours , emerging into the atlantic ocean near vero beach . as it reached the gulf stream , a small but intense area of convection developed over the center , and after the hurricane hunters reported flight - level winds in excess of 90 mph ( 145 km / h ) , gordon attained hurricane status late on november 17 about 245 miles ( 345 km ) southeast of cape fear , north carolina . shortly thereafter , it reached peak winds of 85 mph ( 140 km / h ) , and the trough that had turned the hurricane to the north was replaced by a ridge . gordon turned abruptly northwestward , and was briefly expected to cross the outer banks as a minimal hurricane . the hurricane turned to the south and south - southeast , weakening into a tropical storm due to stronger shear and drier air . on november 19 , the storm turned to the southwest and later to the west . gordon weakened into a tropical depression before striking florida again near cape canaveral on november 20 . it later turned to the north and dissipated over south carolina on november 21 . preparations when gordon was approaching jamaica on november 12 , a tropical storm watch , and later warning , was issued for the island . the same day , a tropical storm warning was issued for southeastern cuba from camagüey to guantanamo . on november 13 , a tropical storm warning was issued for the southwest peninsula of haiti , and later that day the same warning was issued for the bahamas . due to the storm , 65 , 000 people evacuated to safer locations in cuba . schools were closed in new providence and grand bahama due to the storm , and nassau international airport was briefly shut down . a flight between havana and miami was canceled . in cuba , officials forced 36 , 518 people to evacuate their homes , and workers also moved 68 , 780 livestock . after gordon emerged into the atlantic north of cuba , the national hurricane center issued a tropical storm warning for southern florida from jupiter to the dry tortugas , and later extended it to boca grande up along the west coast ; this was extended to bayport on the west coast and to titusville on the east coast while the storm was approaching the florida keys . when gordon attained hurricane status and turned suddenly to the northwest , a hurricane warning was issued from bogue banks to the north carolina / virginia border . florida governor lawton chiles activated the state 's emergency operations center . in the florida keys , state parks were closed , which forced some campers to leave , and all schools were closed . on the mainland , university of miami and miami dade college were also closed . space shuttle atlantis was forced to land at edwards air force base in california instead of kennedy space center . the storm caused flights to be canceled or delayed at miami international airport , and nearly all flights were canceled to and from the florida keys . hundreds of people evacuated to shelters in five counties in east - central florida . in north carolina , officials suggested people in low - lying areas to go to higher ground , but they did not issue evacuation orders . impact although gordon was a tropical storm for most of its existence , it caused enormous damage and loss of life . the united nations estimated death toll in haiti was 1 , 122 . six deaths were reported in costa rica , five in the dominican republic , two in jamaica , two in cuba , and eight in florida . property damage to the united states was estimated at $ 400 million ( 1994 usd , $ 639 million 2016 usd ) . property damage statistics for the other affected areas are not available , but were reportedly severe in both haiti and cuba . the high death toll from gordon made it the deadliest atlantic hurricane since hurricane david in 1979 , which killed thousands in the dominican republic . central america the first location affected by gordon was central america , when it briefly moved over northeastern nicaragua as a tropical depression . severe localized flooding occurred in nicaragua , panama , and most significantly costa rica . there , several days of heavy rainfall damaged about 180 mi ( 300 km ) of roads and bridges , mostly in rural areas . in in the northern portion of the country , the rains damaged beans and rice crops . more than 700 homes were destroyed , leaving about 4 , 000 people homeless . nationwide , the system killed six people and caused $ 30 million in damage . in panama , the floods killed two people . jamaica while passing south of jamaica , gordon dropped heavy rainfall , which caused flooding in six parishes , mostly in clarendon and saint catherine . the rains caused flooding and mudslides that blocked roads . gordon left $ 11 . 8 million in damage , mostly in clarendon . about half of the overall damage was related to roads , and an additional quarter was due to crop damage . there were four deaths and two injuries in the country . two of the deaths were drownings . hispaniola the broad circulation of gordon produced a persistent southerly flow across hispaniola , causing orographic lift in mountainous regions . this caused a prolonged period of heavy rainfall , reaching 14 in ( 360 mm ) in les cayes in a 24 ‑ hour period , and over 9 in ( 230 mm ) in the same duration in the capital city , port - au - prince . in jacmel , gordon dropped 13 in ( 330 mm ) in about 12 hours . the rains resulted in flooding and landslides across the country . there was knee - deep flooding in the shantytown of cité soleil , and in jacmel , the rains increased levels along three rivers . there , the storm washed out the road connecting with port - au - prince , and three bridges were destroyed . in jacmel , 725 houses were destroyed , forcing 1 , 500 people to stay at shelters . gordon left portions of southeastern haiti without water access . about 10 , 800 houses were damaged to some degree , and an additional 3 , 500 homes were destroyed . about 1 . 5 million people were directly affected in the country , mostly near port - au - prince and in the southern portion , and more than 89 , 000 people were left homeless . in port - au - prince , about 20 , 000 homes were flooded , and the bridge connecting the city with northern haiti was also flooded . overall damage in the country was estimated at $ 50 million . the floods and mudslides killed many people in haiti , although the exact total will likely never be known . on november 19 , officials reported 531 deaths , and by two days later the total was potentially as high as 2 , 000 . on november 24 , the death toll reached 824 , and the united nations office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs reported on december 21 that gordon killed 1 , 122 people in the country . most of the deaths occurred in port - au - prince , jacmel , and léogâne . damage was heavier in haiti than elsewhere along gordon 's track due to poor infrastructure consisting of shacks on flood - prone denuded hills . the country suffers large death tolls from many hurricanes , caused in part by human activity . large - scale deforestation left haiti with about 1 . 4 % of its forests as of 2004 , leaving denuded mountain slopes that allows rainwater to wash down unimpeded . the lack of tree cover contributed to the devastating floods that caused most of gordon 's deaths . in neighboring dominican republic , gordon caused flooding and landslides that disrupted travel and communications to the interior portions of the country . several slums around santo domingo flooded . the storm killed five people in the country . cuba and bahamas shortly after moving over jamaica , gordon crossed over eastern cuba . at guantanamo bay naval base , a station recorded 69 mph ( 111 km / h ) sustained winds , with gusts to 120 mph ( 190 km / h ) during a microburst . the winds were not representative of the storm , and gordon 's landfall intensity was estimated at around 46 mph ( 74 km / h ) . the storm caused widespread power outages and forced several roads to close . damage was heaviest in guantánamo province , where 9 mi ( 17 km ) of seawalls and two aqueducts were destroyed . the storm damaged or destroyed 43 bridges , damaged 1 , 106 mi ( 1 , 779 km ) of roads , and wrecked 16 . 5 mi ( 26 . 5 km ) of rail lines . about 3 mi ( 5 km ) of underground electrical cables were damaged . there was heavy agricultural damage in southeastern cuba , estimated at about $ 45 million . gordon damaged 7 , 482 acres ( 3 , 028 hectares ) of sugar cane fields and damaged or destroyed about 5 . 5 million banana trees . about 100 , 000 sacks of coffee were wrecked , amounting to $ 3 . 5 million in damage , and 50 , 000 litres of milk were ruined . while gordon was paralleling northern cuba , it produced high seas that caused flooding , including in havana . nationwide , the storm damaged 5 , 750 houses and destroyed 156 others . the cost of damage and reconstruction of homes and roads was $ 47 . 4 million , and there was an additional $ 9 . 5 million in damage to public buildings . gordon killed two people in the country , which was kept to a minimum due to evacuations , and damage totaled $ 102 million . two people were injured at guantanamo bay naval base . the flooding from gordon followed two other similarly damaging events in the preceding year . gordon also affected the nearby bahamas , producing 46 mph ( 74 km / h ) sustained winds at kemps bay , andros . florida in the florida keys , wind gusts up to 49 mph ( 79 km / h ) caused minor damage to trees and motor homes . intense rainbands caused flooding in low - lying and poorly - draining areas , mostly in the upper florida keys . high tides closed portions of u.s. 1 . in the tampa bay area , outer rainbands downed power lines and trees , one of which fell onto a car . while gordon was moving across southern florida , virginia key reported sustained winds of 53 mph ( 85 km / h ) , which was the highest in the state . gusts reached 83 mph ( 134 km / h ) at a location in southern dade county . similar to the caribbean , the storm dropped heavy rainfall in southern florida , with widespread areas reporting over 6 in ( 150 mm ) in the eastern portion of the state . rainfall peaked at 16 . 1 in ( 410 mm ) in . high waves from gordon severely eroded beaches along the state 's eastern coastline , and damaged coral and artificial reef systems . waves flooded coastal roads up to 2 ft ( 0 . 61 m ) deep in miami beach , and also damaged seawalls . near fort lauderdale , the storm washed a 508 ft ( 154 m ) cargo ship aground less than 150 ft ( 45 m ) from the beach . several other boats sank or were beached , which prompted 37 rescues . one woman was rescued after being swept 3 , 000 ft ( 910 m ) off a fishing pier in boynton beach . gordon spawned six tornadoes in the state , of which two did no damage and two caused minor damage . a tornado in lake worth damaged 39 homes and two businesses . the most damaging tornado was an f2 in southern brevard county , which originated as a waterspout and moved onshore near barefoot bay . it moved through a mobile home community , destroying 62 homes and damaging 227 others to some extent ; damage from the tornado was estimated at $ 10 million . the same tornado injured 40 people , causing six to be hospitalized , and killed an elderly man who died due to head trauma . across florida , gordon 's winds damaged power lines and knocked down trees and traffic signals ; about 425 , 000 people lost power due to the storm . the rains caused flooding in dade and collier counties , which damaged $ 275 million worth of crops , mostly to vegetables and sugar cane . in some locations , the crop damage was worse than during hurricane andrew in 1992 , due to fewer crops being planted when andrew struck the state . along elliott key , gordon damaged the coral reef system to a greater extent than andrew . inland flooding damaged buildings due to fast - rising water and roof collapses . in volusia county , floods entered 1 , 236 buildings , causing $ 26 million in damage . flooding caused dozens of roads to close , some of which were washed out . in the everglades , flooding killed several deer . statewide , two people drowned in separate instances after driving into flooded areas . three people drowned along beaches , including one man who died in a rip current while attempting to rescue his son . in hillsboro inlet , two people drowned after their boat was overturned by high waves . throughout florida , gordon directly killed eight people , and injured 43 people . there were also three indirect deaths ; two were from traffic accidents , and one was related to a heart attack after a person pushed a stalled car in a flooded road . statewide damage was estimated at $ 400 million ( 1994 usd , $ 639 million 2016 usd ) . remainder of united states after affecting florida , gordon produced rainfall along much of the eastern united states , extending as far north as new jersey . in north carolina , rainfall peaked at 4 . 96 in ( 126 mm ) in new holland , and in virginia the highest rainfall total was 5 . 25 in ( 133 mm ) near norfolk . sustained winds in the hatteras , north carolina area peaked at 50 mph ( 80 km / h ) in buxton . just offshore at diamond shoal light , a station reported 10 - minute sustained winds of 71 mph ( 114 km / h ) . the hurricane produced tides of 2 . 7 ft ( 0 . 82 m ) above normal in frisco . high waves and tides resulted in significant beach erosion along the outer banks . the waves closed several portions of north carolina highway 12 for up to four days , and also closed a portion of u.s. route 70 in eastern carteret county . heavy dune damage occurred on ocracoke island . north of hatteras village , the high waves washed out 225 ft ( 69 m ) of dunes , and portions of the outer banks between hatteras and frisco were flooded up to 2 . 5 ft ( 0 . 76 m ) deep . the effects were similar to that of the 1991 perfect storm , although damage was lighter during gordon . the hurricane destroyed five homes in kitty hawk , which were condemned after being previously damaged by hurricane emily in 1993 . also in kitty hawk , the storm damaged 52 houses and 2 businesses . in rodanthe , two homes sustained water damage . the cost of the storm in the state was estimated at $ 314 , 000 . effects further south in north carolina were lesser , although serious beach erosion was reported . offshore , a family of four required rescue from the coast guard after their boat began filling with water in the midst of 17 ft ( 5 . 2 m ) surf . a 49 ft ( 15 m ) sailboat was disabled about 115 mi ( 185 km ) offshore norfolk , virginia , and the crew of three were also rescued by the coast guard . the sailboat was sailing from bermuda to oxford , maryland , but was halted after the engine failed , the anchor was ripped off , and the mainstay was torn . the interaction between gordon and a ridge over new england produced coastal flooding in eastern virginia . tides reached 4 ft ( 1 . 2 m ) above normal in virginia beach , which washed away 100 ft ( 30 m ) of a fishing pier . the high tides caused road damage and minor housing damage . aftermath and lack of retirement in costa rica , president josé maría figueres declared a state of emergency due to flooding in that country . he sought $ 15 million in aid from the inter - american development bank . the country 's government handled relief efforts through its red cross and federal and non - governmental organizations . the government of cuba issued an appeal to the united nations office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs for financial assistance ; as a result , the agency provided $ 30 , 000 , and the united nations development programme provided $ 50 , 000 . the government of luxembourg sent $ 37 , 000 worth of construction materials , and the european union sent $ 443 , 000 to the country . on november 16 , the government of haiti issued an appeal to the international community for assistance . in response , agencies through the united nations donated $ 735 , 000 , including 20 , 000 water units and 3 , 000 blankets . the united nations office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs flew 30 tons of supplies , financed by italy and luxembourg . the european union donated about $ 3 . 8 million to the country , and various countries sent about $ 1 . 8 million in cash or the equivalent thereof in relief items . the canadian government donated $ 485 , 000 , and the government of japan sent $ 400 , 000 in aid . the government of france provided blankets , clothing , and tarpaulins , and the united states sent 5 , 000 blankets . in the days after the storm , the haitian army and international workers made emergency repairs to the road between jacmel and port - au - prince , which was permanently reopened on november 25 . the haitian government provided $ 3 . 2 million to repair damage and assist those affected by the storm . the government sent about $ 112 , 000 to cities to provide for clearing roads , housing repairs , and for the funerals of storm victims . workers from the united nations set up relief work in port - au - prince . assistance quickly reached the ravaged town of jacmel , including 116 tons of food , 9 tons of medicine , and clothing . six soldiers from the united states special forces rescued 35 haitians using an inflatable boat . about 100 soldiers from the 10th mountain division assisted in relief operations in jacmel , rescuing hundreds of people . about 12 , 000 united states troops were already in the country when gordon struck to restore democracy under ousted president jean - bertrand aristide . due to the crop damage in florida , the price of vegetables across the united states rose . there were about 25 , 000 insurance claims following the storm 's passage . despite the devastation in haiti and the extensive damage in cuba and florida , gordon was not retired by the world meteorological organization in spring of 1995 . member nations of the world meteorological organization must send a delegate to the annual meeting to formally submit a request for tropical cyclone name retirement ; for unknown reasons , haiti did not send a delegate to the spring 1995 meeting . the world meteorological organization issued an official statement crediting jamaica and cuba 's warning infrastructure for the low loss of life there from gordon , and blaming haiti 's lack of such a system for the large number of deaths there .