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.
1993 Pacific hurricane season
The most intense cyclone of the season was Hurricane Lidia, a powerful Category 4 hurricane that made landfall in Sinaloa as a Category 2. Killing seven people, Lidia also caused extensive property damage in Mexico and the United States, as the remnants of the system combined with a cold front to produce Severe weather in Texas. However, the most notable storm of the season, in terms of fatalities, was Hurricane Calvin. Originating from an area of disturbed weather on July 4, it reached a peak intensity of before making an initial landfall near Manzanillo, Colima, Mexico. Rapidly weakening due to land interaction with the Mexican coastline, the hurricane re-emerged into Pacific waters, though the storm did not strengthen, and continued to weaken as it moved northwestward. On July 8, Calvin made a second, and final, landfall on the southern tip of Baja California Peninsula before weakening to a tropical depression and dissipating on July 9. At least 34 deaths can be attributed to the system, as well as $32 million (1993 USD) or more in damage.