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 Henriette (2007)
Hurricane Henriette then emerged over the Gulf of California, and made its second landfall near Guaymas. After causing heavy rains and killing four individuals in Sonora, the storm dissipated over the Sierra Madre Occidental and its remnants went on to cause flooding in New Mexico and Texas. Damage totaled about $275 million (2007 MXN, $25 million 2007 USD). It hit Mexico on the same day Hurricane Felix hit Nicaragua, only one of two occurrences in which a North Atlantic hurricane and a Pacific hurricane made landfall on the same day.