In Martin and St. Lucie counties , the storm was considered among the worst on record . The storm leveled some homes and swept many others off their foundations . At Stuart , winds removed or badly damaged 75 % of the roofs in town . The storm destroyed the third floor of the building that housed a bowling alley and the Stuart News , a local newspaper . At Olympia , an abandoned settlement also known as Olympia Beach , strong winds leveled the old Olympia Inn , a gas station , and the second floor of a pharmaceutical building . Winds also tore the roof off an ice plant . A bridge leading to the barrier island from Olympia was partly wrecked ; the bridge tender survived by gripping the railing during the storm . Winds leveled his nearby home . According to the Monthly Weather Review , some of the most severe damage from the storm in Florida was at Olympia . The storm left many homes in Hobe Sound uninhabitable , forcing crews to tear them down . Winter estates on the island , however , were better built and little damaged . While Stuart and Hobe Sound sustained significant damage , Port Salerno suffered minimally . In Stuart , the storm left 400 to 500 people homeless , up to nearly 10 % of the population , which was 5 @,@ 100 at the time . Between Jupiter and Fort Pierce , the storm knocked down power and telegraph lines . In the latter city , high waves washed out a portion of the causeway . In the 1980s , an elderly resident recalled that the storm was the most severe on record in Fort Pierce .