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.
1935 Cuba hurricane
The hurricane caused widespread destruction in areas of the western Atlantic. In Jamaica, the storm's strong winds and heavy rain destroyed roughly 3 percent of the island's banana production and damaged road networks. Damage on the island country totaled to $2.7 million. In Cayman Brac, strong winds damaged infrastructure and crops, though no fatalities resulted. Most of the cyclone's deaths occurred in Cuba, where the storm made its first landfall. The hurricane's effects caused a 100 mi (160 km) wide swath of damage which cut across the country. Strong storm surge destroyed low-lying coastal towns, particularly in Cienfuegos, where numerous homes were destroyed and 17 people died. Across Cuba, the storm caused $12 million in damages and 35 deaths. As it crossed the island, widespread evacuation procedures occurred in southern areas of Florida, heightened due to the effects of a disastrous hurricane which struck less than a month prior. However, damage there was only of moderate severity. Passing directly over Bimini in The Bahamas, the hurricane destroyed nearly half of the island with its large storm surge. There, 14 people were killed. Further north, the storm caused slight impacts in Bermuda and Atlantic Canada, though a person drowned off of Halifax, Nova Scotia due to rough seas. Overall, the tropical cyclone caused 52 deaths and $14.7 million in damages, making it the costliest hurricane of the hurricane season.