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.
Hurricane Pauline (1968)
No information on the hurricane was available for October 2, when it made landfall near Ciudad Constitutión in Baja California Sur. After landfall, La Paz reported winds of from the northwest, which began weakening in the next hour. Satellite imagery showed that Pauline had moved over the Gulf of California, the interaction with land having weakened it to a tropical storm. The storm moved north, making a second landfall near Navojoa. The storm continued inland, passing directly over Ciudad Obregón. The storm dissipated south-southeast of Sierra Vista in Arizona.
Damage totals from Baja California Sur in relation to the hurricane were never received, but light damage was reported in Navojoa. The Pasadena-based newspaper reported that a tourist in Mazatlán at the time had sent a card saying that the hurricane was responsible for cutting off-shore capers. Mexican Navy members in Magdalena Bay reported that while passing over, Pauline had clocked winds of , the equivalent of a Category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. The Navy report of winds came after another report that the auxiliary-powered yawl called the "Tiare" was missing in the same bay. The ship had left Newport Harbor on September 25 with the destination being Puerto Vallarta and was occupied by a family of five people. The last reported sighting of the yawl was off Cedros Island. After the report of the missing yawl was received, the United States Coast Guard engineered a search for the vessel. The search was called off after covering an area of with no results. The ship was reported as lost and the five occupants were listed as dead. Despite not finding any sign of the ship, the Coast Guard was praised for the extensive search.