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.
1930 Dominican Republic hurricane
After passing over or near Dominica, the hurricane entered the Caribbean Sea with winds of , the equivalence of a Category 2 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale. On September 2, the hurricane passed about 60 mi (95 km) southwest of Puerto Rico as it intensified into a major hurricane. Due to the storm's small size, winds on the island were below hurricane force. Continuing slowly west-northwestward, the hurricane continued to intensify as it approached the Dominican Republic. Captain Thomas Evans of the SS "Coamo" of the Porto Rico Line, its crew and passengers all survived being buffeted by the storm for seven hours and passing through the eye. He reported a barometric pressure of and a detailed description of its near capsizing off the coast of the Dominican Republic to "The New York Times" when they arrived in San Juan on September 4. The "New York Times" published the story on September 5 as "Steamer Outrides Storm's Full Fury: Caught in Vortex of Hurricane, Coamo Tilts Periously as Gail Strips Decks". A steamship just offshore recorded winds of , and also provided data to estimate the radius of maximum winds at 8 mi (13 km). At 1800 UTC on September 3, it made landfall near Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic with a minimum central pressure of . As it was still intensifying up until landfall, the peak winds were estimated at , although it is possible it attained Category 5 status. The worst of the hurricane occurred in a diameter of its landfall location.