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.
1932 San Ciprian hurricane
The hurricane earned its name by striking Puerto Rico on September 26, the Roman Catholic feast day devoted to Saint Cyprian ("San Ciprián" in Spanish), the magician of Antioch. This was a common practice prior to the introduction of standardized hurricane names – for example, the 1867 San Narciso hurricane, the 1899 San Ciriaco hurricane, and the 1928 San Felipe hurricane were also named after the feast day on which they occurred.