Hurricanes and the Making of Caribbean History
The 1899 San Ciriaco hurricane1899 San Ciriaco hurricane hit Puerto Rico, whose economy relied on coffee. The crop had already been facing problems with a decrease in prices and competing countries, but the hurricane wiped out any chance of rebounding from the losses of the previous years. The winds stripped the berries from the trees and the coffee exports of 1899 were only 10 percent of the average export. The losses amounted to 12 million dollars in revenue from 1899 to 1901. This left a dismal outlook on the future for farmers. Sugar was also affected by the storm, although the results were not as drastic. Only a third of the sugar crop could be harvested in 1899, but the soil was reinvigorated. The storm only affected the older haciendas, which would have been retired soon regardless of the hurricane. This allowed for newer technologies to be introduced to the sugar system and U.S. involvement increased. Overall, San Ciriaco helped and hurt the agriculture of Puerto Rico.
1964 Atlantic hurricane season
Cleo emerged into the Gulf of Guacanayabo, before striking Sancti Spíritus Province as a minimal hurricane early on August 26. Several hours later, the hurricane emerged into the Atlantic Ocean and began re-strengthening while moving northward, becoming a Category 2 hurricane early the next day. Around 06:00 UTC on August 27, Cleo made landfall on Key Biscayne, Florida, with winds of . The system quickly weakened inland, falling to tropical storm intensity early the following day. However, Cleo did not deteriorate to a tropical depression until on August 29. Thereafter, the cyclone meandered slowly across The Carolinas and Virginia, but did not dissipate. Cleo instead re-intensified into a tropical storm while re-entering the Atlantic near Norfolk, Virginia, on September 1. It moved east-northeastward and became a hurricane again about 24 hours later. By early on September 4, the cyclone accelerated and curved north-northeastward. Cleo weakened to a tropical storm on September 5 and soon became extratropical while located about east-northeast of Cartwright, Newfoundland and Labrador.