User:12george1/Effects of the 1928 Okeechobee hurricane in Puerto Rico

The Effects of the 1928 Okeechobee hurricane in Puerto Rico included damage to every building on the island. The hurricane originated from a tropical depression that formed near Dakar, Senegal, on September 6. Traversing the Atlantic Ocean, the cyclone struck the Lesser Antilles beginning late on September 12. The storm, which was moving west-northwestward, intensified into a Category 5 hurricane on the modern day Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale on September 13. Shortly thereafter, the storm made landfall in Maunabo, Puerto Rico, becoming the first and only Category 5 hurricane to strike the island. The cyclone later struck the Bahamas as a powerful system and made landfall near West Palm Beach, Florida, early on September 17 as a Category 4 hurricane. Thereafter, it moved further inland across the Southeastern United States and transitioned into an extratropical cyclone over North Carolina on September 20, before the remnants became indistinguishable over Ontario on September 21.

Background
The storm was named the San Felipe II Hurricane because the eye of the cyclone made landfall on the Christian feast day of Saint Philip. It was named "Segundo", Spanish for "the Second", because of another destructive "San Felipe hurricane" which struck Puerto Rico on that same day in 1876. Since European arrival in the Americas in 1492, all storms and hurricanes were named after the name of the saint of the day the storm hit Puerto Rico. In 1950, hurricane began officially receiving names, but the practice of naming storms after saints continued until 1960.

Preparations
While the storm was passing near Dominica, the San Juan, Puerto Rico Weather Bureau warned about the threat of the hurricane which would strike the island within a day or two. The advisory was sent via telegraph to 75 police districts and was broadcast from the naval radio station every two hours; this was the first hurricane warning broadcast by radio. Warnings were also posted for 12 ports along the southern coast, causing ships to avoid the island or remain at port. Effective preparation is credited for the relatively low death toll of 312, and not a single ship was lost at sea in the vicinity of Puerto Rico. By comparison, the weaker 1899 San Ciriaco hurricane killed approximately 3,000 people.

Impact
According to the San Juan National Weather Service office, the storm was "up to this time the greatest and more [sic] intense and destructive hurricane of record in Puerto Rico." Along the storm path, the eye passed over Guayama, Cayey, and Aibonito, resulting in a period of calm lasting 20 minutes. The island of Puerto Rico received the worst of the storm's winds when the hurricane moved directly across the island at Category 5 strength. The hurricane was extremely large as it crossed Puerto Rico. Hurricane-force winds were measured in Guayama for 18 hours; since the storm is estimated to have been moving at 13 mph (21 km/h), the diameter of the storm's hurricane winds was estimated very roughly to be 234 miles (376 km).

The rainfall recorded on September 13–14, 1928, remains the record for the maximum rainfall associated with a hurricane in Puerto Rico within a period of forty-eight hours. In those regions where precipitation is more common place, as in Adjuntas in the Cordillera Central and in the Sierra de Luquillo, the rain was over 25 in, with 29.60 in recorded in Adjuntas. The anemometer located in Puerta de Tierra lost one of its cups at 11:44 am on September 13, just when it had registered a maximum speed of 150 mph – a speed that was sustained for five consecutive minutes. Previously the same instrument had measured 160 mph for one minute. Because these measurements were taken 30 mi from San Felipe's eye, at the time, it seemed possible that some estimates of 200 mph near the center of the storm were not considered an exaggeration.

There was general destruction through the island, with the towns where the eye passed being swept away. Property damage on the island from winds and rain was catastrophic. The northeast portion of the island received winds in excess of Category 3 strength, with hurricane-force winds lasting as long as 18 hours. Official reports stated "several hundred thousand" people were left homeless, and property damages were estimated at $50 million.

In Ponce, strong winds destroyed many frame homes, leaving about 700 people homeless. Trees were downed throughout the area, blocking roads and traffic. Electrical, telegraph, and phone services were interrupted. Heavy rainfall ruined coffee and sugar cane crops, while low-lying areas were inundated. The coffee crop, valued at $15 million, in particular suffered significantly, with the crop in 1928 being the largest in 10 years and almost entirely presold to Europe. A total of 10 fatalities were reported and many others were hospitalized.

Winds in San Juan were estimated to have reached 150 mph. The Weather Bureau office observed winds up to 132 mph, but the anemometer blew away. Nearby, the building housing the Weather Bureau was destroyed, as was the shed housing the weather balloons. The southern portion of the city experienced considerable destruction. La Princesa was mostly leveled, with over 2,000 people left homeless in that section of the city. Throughout San Juan, 70% of dwellings were destroyed and 30% businesses were demolished. Other buildings such as hospitals, a hotel, and the union club lost their roofs. Many trees were uprooted, while local banana, coconut, and coffee plantations were flattened. The RCA antenna fell, disrupting communications between San Juan and New York City, New York. Heavy rainfall in the area flooded La Fortaleza, the executive residence of the Governor of Puerto Rico. The building also suffered damage to its doors and windows, while the trees in the garden were toppled. The water supply for San Juan and nearby towns was disrupted. In the now-former municipality of Río Piedras, which is today a section of San Juan, medical buildings housing 300 tuberculosis patients and 70 lepers were almost completely destroyed.

On the island there was no building that was not affected. Some sugar mills ("Centrales") that had cost millions of dollars to build were reduced to rubble. Reports say that 24,728 homes were destroyed and 192,444 were partially destroyed. Most of the sugarcane fields were flooded, ruining the year's crops. Half of the coffee plants and half of the shade trees that covered these were destroyed; almost all of the coffee harvest was lost. The coffee industry would take years to recover since coffee needs shade trees to grow. The tobacco farms also had great losses. After this hurricane, Puerto Rico never regained its position as a major coffee exporter.

Communications were impacted by fallen trees, landslides, and damaged bridges. Of the school buildings 770 were destroyed or damaged. According to some estimates of the day, excluding personal losses, the damages reached $85.312 million and over 500,000 people were left homeless. San Felipe II is officially classified as Puerto Rico's biggest, worst, and most devastating hurricane to ever have impacted the island.