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 Atlantic hurricane season
On September 25, ships first noted a tropical storm east of the Leeward Islands. The tropical storm quickly intensified as it moved towards the west due to a nearby high pressure system, reaching hurricane strength at 0600 UTC that day. As it approached Puerto Rico, the hurricane continued to rapidly intensify, before reaching its peak intensity as a Category 4 hurricane with winds of and a minimum pressure of on September 27, before making landfall near Ceiba, Puerto Rico at 0300 UTC. The hurricane slightly weakened over the island, and after crossing the Mona Passage, made a second landfall in southern areas of the Dominican Republic as a Category 2 hurricane. Its passage of Hispaniola significantly weakened the hurricane, downgrading it to tropical strength. After brushing Jamaica to the south, the tropical storm struggled to organize, and did not strengthen up until landfall on British Honduras with winds of and an estimated minimum pressure of October 1. There, the storm quickly weakened, and dissipated over southeastern Mexico on October 3.