How many died due to the Havana hurricane?
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It is estimated that at least 100 people lost their lives, mostly due to mudslides, including five persons in Havana. However, reports range as high as 700. Initial estimates of the financial damage caused by the storm were in the millions of dollars, including losses of $1 million in Havana, largely from the destruction of Customs House sheds there, which were filled with many valuable goods. Some of these buildings were swept away, and the winds tore the roof off the main warehouse. In the aftermath—while the hurricane was still widely considered to be two separate storms—rumors arose "of the approach of a third storm", although in actuality no additional storms were known to have occurred in the 1910 season.
1910 Cuba hurricane
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Before the hurricane struck Cuba, officials warned of the impending storm, and military workers warned people to remain indoors. About 4,000 people evacuated the coastal town of Isabela on three trains specifically run for the residents. In Havana, business owners secured their properties in anticipation of the storm. Most of the deaths from the hurricane occurred in northern Cuba. Winds of over affected the coastline, and Havana reported maximum winds of . There, the winds downed power lines and uprooted trees. High waves flooded six blocks of the city with up to of water, entering the cellars of some homes. East of Havana in Cárdenas, high waves destroyed the aqueduct, while high winds severely damaged the local sugar industry. A nearby coastal town east of Cárdenas was described as being "virtually leveled by the storm" in news reports. In Cienfuegos along the southern coast, the hurricane destroyed many ships and piers. High waves washed four ships ashore, one of which damaged another ship. High winds destroyed hundreds of houses and damaged many others along the storm's path. About 100,000 people were left homeless, many of whom lacking food or medical supplies. In the interior of the country, the hurricane dropped rainfall that flooded rivers and towns. Damage was estimated at $11 million, and a report published in 2003 indicated that there were about 70 deaths in the country; however, newspaper accounts from shortly after the hurricane indicated there were around 100 deaths. After the storm, police officers were deployed to maintain order. Officers shot and killed five people caught looting in Havana, although the deaths were not included in the overall death toll. Officials deployed trucks to pick up wounded citizens.
1933 Cuba–Brownsville hurricane
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In Havana, of rain fell on October 20. A tidal wave overtopped the Malecón – a seawall built in 1900 by Leonard Wood to project the city – causing much of the damage. The seawall instead prevented water from flowing back into the Straits of Florida. Densely-population low-lying sections of the city were inundated, with water reaching several meters high up to three to four streets inland. People in inundated areas were forced to evacuate to emergency shelters. The hurricane's effects destroyed at least 325 buildings and homes in the city. Some gas and oil tanks were destroyed, while the Havana Oil Company elevator was reduced to a mass of twisted steel. The Havana Automobile Company's headquarters suffered severe window damage due to the strong winds. An antenna tower was also blown down by strong winds. Power outages were widespread across other affected regions. At least 58 fatalities occurred in Havana, many of which were caused by people being struck by collapsing walls or flying debris.
1926 Havana–Bermuda hurricane
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One person was killed in Jamaica due to flooding. In Cuba, people boarded up numerous buildings, and emergency workers assisted authorities in spreading the word about the impending storm; residents in vulnerable areas evacuated to shelters on higher ground. The hurricane's powerful winds destroyed several houses in Camagüey, and heavy rainfall overflowed numerous rivers in low-lying districts. The winds damaged and disrupted telephone and telegraph lines and injured a few people in Havana. Despite government orders for police to kill any looters, large-scale looting occurred in Havana after the storm. Two looters were shot to death, and a third was injured. Two civilians were also wounded by snipers who fired to disperse thieves. Residents in southeast Florida boarded up for the storm while the National Weather Bureau issued storm warnings for portions of the coastline. The hurricane produced strong winds and rain in the Florida Keys and extreme southern Florida, but damage was minimal. In northwest Miami, the hurricane spawned a tornado that damaged three houses and injured two. In Nova Scotia, the former hurricane left heavy damage to crops due to strong winds and heavy rain. Sunken boats killed nine people, and damage was estimated at around $1 million (1933 CAD), including $250,000 in lost apple crop.
1933 Atlantic hurricane season
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The hurricane's heavy rainfall resulted in mudslides along the mountainous terrain. This, combined with strong winds, damaged 60,475 homes, of which 3,481 were completely destroyed. In the country, 100,000 were left homeless due to Hurricane Georges. High winds downed power lines, trees, and telephone poles, leaving many in eastern Cuba without electricity in the aftermath of the storm. Along the coast, severe flooding washed out railroad and highway bridges. Though eastern Cuba was the area most affected, the central and western portion of the island, including Havana, experienced torrential rains and strong wind gusts. There, strong waves broke over the seawall, and caused heavy flood damage to some of the town's old buildings.
Hurricane Georges
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Water and electric supply to the suburb of Marianao was cut off by the hurricane. Trees along a road from Marianao to Havana were uprooted. In the tourist section, the casino, jai alai buildings, and race track suffered only minor damage, though the bathing pavilion was demolished. At the Oriental Park Racetrack, numerous homes were destroyed. Thirteen people died in Mariano, with five by drowning after local rivers rose and eight from collapsing buildings. About 25 percent of barracks in Camp Columbia were damaged. A monument in the suburbs of Havana dedicated to victims of an explosion on the "USS Maine" was destroyed by high floodwaters. Hundreds of dwellings were destroyed in several other suburbs of Havana, including 175 homes in Bauta and 148 homes in Cojímar, while only seven homes remained standing in Bainoa. A total of 207 homes were also flattened in San José de las Lajas, where 13 fatalities were reported. Extensive damage to waterfront properties occurred in Matanzas. Five people were killed and 154 others were injured in the city. In Quinta de Los Molinos, the National Horticultural Garden, which was said to have the largest variety of tropical plants in the world – was completely destroyed.
1926 Havana–Bermuda hurricane
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Havana sustained major damage from the hurricane, with 50 houses destroyed, and cable operators in Miami, Santiago, and Jamaica were unable to reach telegraph services in the city. The wall of the American legation was blown down. Vedado's sea baths were severely damaged. Havana's streetcar service was temporarily disrupted by the storm. Trees were blown down in the parks of Havana. Twenty people were killed in the city, while in Batabanó, nine people were killed, with many others missing. In Matanzas, the location of the United States' 28th Infantry, tents were destroyed and there was widespread damage. However, nobody was killed or injured in the city. In San Luis, tobacco crops were ruined, and 150 tobacco barns in the Alquízar municipality were destroyed. The sugar crop in Pinar del Río Province survived well during the hurricane. In the La Guria section of Cuba, the banana crops were completely destroyed. Rivers topped their banks throughout the country.
1906 Florida Keys hurricane
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The impacts of the hurricane were extreme throughout the state of Florida, especially in the Florida Keys. High winds washed away two lighthouses near Key West, resulting in the deaths of all 16 people at Sand Key Light and 14 individuals at the Key West lighthouse; although keeper Barbara Mabrity survived, seven of her children died while taking refuge there during the hurricane. The -storm surge in Key West proper swept through downtown and forced many to abandon their homes; many attempted to flee to higher ground ("the highest piece of land — seventeen feet high, with waves threatening to push them off") but were still killed or injured. All wharves and warehouses in the town suffered some degree of damage, and of the approximately six hundred residences on the key, only six endured the storm's fury successfully, with the others unroofed or flattened by intense winds. Fort Zachary Taylor, partially obliterated by the hurricane, endured over $200,000 in damage, while the nearby customs-house was also harmed. Uprooted trees and debris from destroyed houses rendered roads impassable. The storm also changed the landscape within the vicinity, washing away Sand Key entirety. However, the island quickly resurfaced by that December, albeit west of its original position. Every vessel at local harbor sustained serious damage; in addition, some 20 vessels were unaccounted for, and at least 40 deaths were documented, though another source suggested 50 lives were lost out at sea. An additional twelve died inland as a result death by being impaled, crushed, or drowned.
1846 Havana hurricane
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A powerful hurricane in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico struck a Spanish war fleet of 64 vessels under José Solano en route from Havana, Cuba to attack Pensacola, Florida, the capital of British West Florida. The ships had 4,000 men aboard under the military command of Bernardo de Gálvez, and 2,000 died. The slow-moving hurricane, known to history as "Solano's hurricane", was first noted near Jamaica on October 15. Progressing northwestwards it likely crossed the western end of Cuba, before shifting northeastwards to Apalachee Bay. It struck Solano's fleet on October 20. The hurricane's dissipation is disputed as some claim it dissipated somewhere over the southeastern United States around October 22, while others claim that it crossed the U.S. and finally dissipated over the North Atlantic on October 26.
1780 Atlantic hurricane season
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The hurricane's heavy rainfall resulted in mudslides along the mountainous terrain. This, combined with strong winds, damaged 60,475 homes, of which 3,481 were completely destroyed. Along with other affected nations in the Caribbean, more than 100,000 were left homeless due to Hurricane Georges. A total of 1,117 businesses were also damaged, of which 12 were destroyed. High winds downed power lines, trees, and telephone poles, leaving many in eastern Cuba without electricity in the aftermath of the storm. Along the coast, severe flooding washed out railroad and highway bridges. Though eastern Cuba was the area most affected, the central and western portion of the island, including Havana, experienced torrential rains and strong wind gusts. There, strong waves broke over the seawall, and caused heavy flood damage to some of the town's old buildings.
Effects of Hurricane Georges in Cuba