| Category 5 hurricane (SSHS) | ||
|---|---|---|
 Hurricane Hugo off the coast of South Carolina |
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| Formed | September 9, 1989 | |
| Dissipated | September 25, 1989 | |
| Highest winds |
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| Lowest pressure | 918 mbar (hPa; 27. The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale is a classification used for most Western Hemisphere Tropical cyclones that exceed the intensities of Tropical depressions Events 1000 - Battle of Svolder, Viking Age. 1379 - Treaty of Neuberg, splitting the Austrian Year 1989 ( MCMLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar) Events 303 - On a voyage preaching the Gospel, Saint Fermin of Pamplona is beheaded in Amiens, France Year 1989 ( MCMLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar) The bar (symbol bar) decibar (symbol dbar) and the millibar (symbol mbar, also mb are units of Pressure. 12 inHg) | |
| Fatalities | 76 direct | |
| Damage | $10 billion (1989 USD) $17. Inches of mercury, inHg or "Hg is a measuring unit for Pressure. The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been 4 billion (2008 USD) |
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| Areas affected |
Guadeloupe, Montserrat, Dominica, British Virgin Islands, U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, North Carolina, most of eastern North America | |
| Part of the 1989 Atlantic hurricane season |
||
Hurricane Hugo was a destructive Category 5 hurricane that struck Guadeloupe, Montserrat, Puerto Rico, St. Croix, South Carolina and North Carolina in September of the 1989 Atlantic hurricane season, killing 82 people and leaving 56,000 homeless. Guadeloupe is an island group or Archipelago located in the eastern Caribbean Sea at, with a land area of 1628 square kilometres (629 sq Montserrat (ˌmɒntsəˈræt is British overseas territory located in the Leeward Islands, part of the chain of islands called the Lesser Antilles The Commonwealth of Dominica, commonly known as Dominica, is an Island nation in the Caribbean Sea. The British Virgin Islands ( BVI) is a British overseas territory, located in the Caribbean to the east of Puerto Rico. The United States Virgin Islands is a group of Islands in the Caribbean that are an Insular area of the United States. Puerto Rico (ˌpwertoˈriko officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ("Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico" {{lang-en|"Associated Free State of Puerto Rico"}} South Carolina ( is a state in the southern region ( Deep South) of the United States of America. North Carolina ( is a state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States TemplateHurricane season single. -->The 1989 Atlantic hurricane season officially began on June 1, 1989, and lasted until The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale is a classification used for most Western Hemisphere Tropical cyclones that exceed the intensities of Tropical depressions A tropical cyclone is a storm system characterized by a low pressure center and numerous Thunderstorms that produce strong winds and Flooding Guadeloupe is an island group or Archipelago located in the eastern Caribbean Sea at, with a land area of 1628 square kilometres (629 sq Montserrat (ˌmɒntsəˈræt is British overseas territory located in the Leeward Islands, part of the chain of islands called the Lesser Antilles Puerto Rico (ˌpwertoˈriko officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ("Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico" {{lang-en|"Associated Free State of Puerto Rico"}} South Carolina ( is a state in the southern region ( Deep South) of the United States of America. North Carolina ( is a state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States TemplateHurricane season single. -->The 1989 Atlantic hurricane season officially began on June 1, 1989, and lasted until
Hugo developed from a tropical wave that moved off the coast of Africa on September 9. Tropical waves, or easterly waves, also known as African easterly waves in the Atlantic region are a type of Atmospheric trough, Events 1000 - Battle of Svolder, Viking Age. 1379 - Treaty of Neuberg, splitting the Austrian The storm tracked westward, and became a tropical storm on the 11, and a hurricane on the 13. It reached its peak intensity as a category 5 hurricane, and moved toward the United States. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Hugo made landfall in South Carolina as a category 4.
The storm caused $10 billion (1989 USD, $16. 3 billion (2006 USD) in damages, making it the most damaging hurricane ever recorded up to that time, surpassing Hurricane Frederic. The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been Hurricane Frederic was the sixth Tropical cyclone, third hurricane and second major hurricane of the 1979 Atlantic hurricane season. Hugo was itself surpassed by Hurricane Andrew three years later, which was eventually surpassed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Hurricane Andrew is the second most powerful and the last of three Category 5 hurricanes that made U Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was the costliest hurricane, as well as one of the five deadliest in the history of the United States
Contents |
Storm history
Hugo's origins were from a cluster of thunderstorms that moved off the coast of Africa on September 9. Events 1000 - Battle of Svolder, Viking Age. 1379 - Treaty of Neuberg, splitting the Austrian [1] On a westward track, Hugo steadily intensified, becoming a tropical storm on the 11, and a Hurricane on the 13. [1] Hugo reached its peak intensity while several hundred miles to the east of Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico (ˌpwertoˈriko officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ("Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico" {{lang-en|"Associated Free State of Puerto Rico"}}
Hugo began to execute a more north-northwest track, still intensifing as it did so. On the 17, Hugo's eye was over Guadeloupe. Shortly thereafter, Hugo accelarated to the north-nothwest, and by the 19, Hugo was located to the north of Puerto Rico. [1] On the 21, Hugo was located a couple hundred miles east of Florida, when it began a more northward track, in response to a steering flow that was associated with a low pressure system that was moving across the United States. Florida ( is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the The United States of America —commonly referred to as the [1]
Hugo moved toward the northwest, and made landfall on the Isle of Palms, South Carolina, as a category 4 on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale on September 22. The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale is a classification used for most Western Hemisphere Tropical cyclones that exceed the intensities of Tropical depressions Events 66 - Emperor Nero creates the Legion I Italica. 1236 - The Lithuanians [1] The storm continued inland, and weakend to a tropical storm later that day. [1] The storm continued weakening as it moved inland, and on September 23, the storm was making its transition into a remnant low. Events 1122 - Concordat of Worms. 1459 - Battle of Blore Heath, the first major battle of the English [1]
Preparations
Savannah was evacuated in anticipation of Hugo, but saw no effects of the storm other than isolated and light showers. Savannah is a city located in the state of Georgia, United States. Had Hugo hit Savannah, it would have been the first major hurricane to make landfall in Georgia since Storm 7 of the 1898 season. The State of Georgia ( is a state in the United States and was one of the original Thirteen Colonies that revolted against British rule TemplateHurricane season single. -->The 1898 Atlantic hurricane season ran through the summer and the first half of fall in 1898 Governor Carroll Campbell of South Carolina ordered an evacuation of the South Carolina coast in advance of the storm. Carroll Ashmore Campbell Jr ( July 24, 1940 – December 7, 2005) was a U South Carolina ( is a state in the southern region ( Deep South) of the United States of America. This was credited with saving many lives.
Impact
| Region | Deaths |
|---|---|
| United States | 35 |
| Puerto Rico | 12 |
| Guadeloupe | 11 |
| Montserrat | 22 |
| Virgin Islands | 6 |
| Antigua and Barbuda | 10 |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | 11 |
| Total | 107 |
Hugo caused $7 billion (1989 USD) in damage in the mainland United States[3]. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Puerto Rico (ˌpwertoˈriko officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ("Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico" {{lang-en|"Associated Free State of Puerto Rico"}} Guadeloupe is an island group or Archipelago located in the eastern Caribbean Sea at, with a land area of 1628 square kilometres (629 sq Montserrat (ˌmɒntsəˈræt is British overseas territory located in the Leeward Islands, part of the chain of islands called the Lesser Antilles See also Culture of the Virgin Islands Music of the Virgin Islands Virgin Islands Creole Antigua and Barbuda ( Spanish for "Ancient" and "Bearded" is an Island nation located on the eastern boundary of the Caribbean Sea The Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis (also known as the Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis) located in the Leeward Islands, is a federal two-island The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been The United States of America —commonly referred to as the At the time it was the costliest hurricane in U. S. history, but was exceeded in 1992 by Hurricane Andrew, and by three other storms since then. Hurricane Andrew is the second most powerful and the last of three Category 5 hurricanes that made U It remains the sixth costliest hurricane in U. S. history. An additional $3 billion of damages was reported throughout the Caribbean. Therefore, total damages from the storm were $10 billion (1989 USD). The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been
Sources differ on the number of people killed by Hugo, with some citing the American Meteorological Society's figure of 49, and others claiming 56 deaths [4]. The American Meteorological Society ( AMS) promotes the development and dissemination of information and education on the atmospheric and related oceanic Some government agency sources claim only 32 deaths in the United States.
Caribbean
Severe damage was reported throughout the islands of the Caribbean. The storm caused an estimated $5 billion (1989 US dollars) in damages in the Caribbean (including $1 billion in Puerto Rico and the USVI. The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been The United States Virgin Islands is a group of Islands in the Caribbean that are an Insular area of the United States. [3])
St. Croix
There was massive looting and unrest, prompting President George H.W. Bush to send troops to St. George Herbert Walker Bush (born June 12 1924 served as the forty-first President of the United States from 1989 to 1993 Croix in Operation Hawkeye. It also resulted in the first operational deployment of the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS), when the New Mexico-1 Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT)was deployed to assist in medical care needs of the stricken island.
Montserrat
90% of all structures were destroyed in the British overseas territory, including the island's hospital and virtually all the homes of its 12,000 residents. Tourism and agriculture were also severely hit. Total damage was estimated at $100-300 million dollars (1989 USD); the island became reliant on aid as a result. The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been [5][6]
Additionally, the local bat population was devastated, with an estimated 90% decrease in numbers following Hugo's passage. The species Chiroderma improvisum has not been seen on Montserrat since, and it is feared that it may be extinct on the island. [7]
Puerto Rico
Damage in Puerto Rico was severe, especially in the eastern part of the island. The agricultural sector was devastated, with the banana and coffee crops being almost completely wiped out. Heavy rains caused severe flooding in the vicinity of San Juan; in addition, several roads and bridges were washed away. San Juan (saŋ hwaŋ (from the Spanish San Juan Bautista, " Saint John the Baptist " is the Capital and largest municipality in [6]
In all, 12 deaths in Puerto Rico are attributed to Hugo,[2] six of which occurred in the southern city of Guayama where some residents were electrocuted by downed power lines. Guayama (gwah-YAH-mah is a Municipality of Puerto Rico founded in January 29, 1736 and located on the Southern Coastal Valley region bordering Nearly 28,000 people were left homeless by the storm. [6]
United States
South Carolina
While downtown Charleston, South Carolina suffered extensive damage, the greatest damage was reported in the northern suburbs of Mount Pleasant, Sullivan's Island, and Isle of Palms. Charleston is a city in Charleston county in the US state of South Carolina. Mount Pleasant is a suburban town in Charleston County, South Carolina, United States, within the Charleston &ndash North Charleston Sullivan's Island is a town in Charleston County, South Carolina, United States, on a similarly-named island at the entrance to Charleston Harbor Isle of Palms is a city in Charleston County, South Carolina, United States. Both islands were cut off from the mainland by destruction of their bridges. Along the coast, Hugo destroyed many houses and the storm surge piled boats on top of each other.
The storm's most intense wind and storm surge came ashore still further north between the small towns of Awendaw and McClellanville. Storm surge or tidal surge is an offshore rise of water associated with a low pressure weather system typically a Tropical cyclone. Awendaw is a town in Charleston County, South Carolina, United States. McClellanville is a town in Charleston County, South Carolina, United States. An extraordinary 20-foot storm surge was reported between Cape Romain and Bulls Bay. Most mature trees in the Francis Marion National Forest were uprooted. The Francis Marion National Forest is located north of Charleston South Carolina. Many of the stands were old growth longleaf pine, an important habitat for some endangered species. The 'Longleaf Pine' ( Pinus palustris) is a Pine native to the southeast United States, found along the coastal plain from eastern Texas to southeast An endangered species is a population of an organism which is at risk of becoming Extinct because it is either few in numbers or threatened by changing environmental or predation In McClellanville, a small fishing town, residents took refuge in Lincoln High School, and were surprised by the sudden tidal surge which flooded the school. With water pouring into the rooms, the refugees helped one another in pitch darkness to climb into the space in the hanging ceiling above the rooms. All survived.
According to Governor Carroll Campbell, there were about 3,000 tornadoes embedded within the hurricane, which accounts for extensive damage in some areas not within the path of the eyewall. The Governor of the State of South Carolina is the Head of state for the State of South Carolina. Carroll Ashmore Campbell Jr ( July 24, 1940 – December 7, 2005) was a U A tornado is a violent rotating column of air which is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a Cumulonimbus cloud or in rare cases the base of a Cumulus The term "tornado" was a misnomer; the intense localized winds are more properly referred to as vortices. (See Hurricane Andrew for more information on hurricane vortices. Hurricane Andrew is the second most powerful and the last of three Category 5 hurricanes that made U )
Campbell also stated that enough timber was lost within South Carolina to build a home for every family in West Virginia. An immense salvage effort was undertaken to harvest downed pine trees for pulpwood before they deteriorated to the point where they could not be used. Pulpwood refers to Timber grown with the principal purpose of making Wood pulp for Paper production Still standing timber that appeared usable for lumber and plywood frequently had annular separations of the rings that made them dangerous to saw and nearly impossible to cut into plies, so they were also downgraded into pulpwood, leading to such a drop in pulpwood prices that eventually much of the salvage effort ceased. Lumber or timber is Wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural Material for Construction, or Plywood is a type of Engineered board made from thin sheets of Wood, called plies or veneers
Inland, the storm destroyed homes, timber, and the area's cotton crop. Lumber or timber is Wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural Material for Construction, or Cotton is a soft staple Fibre that grows around the seeds of the cotton plant ( Gossypium sp Rainfall totals associated with Hugo were slightly below the average for a direct United States strike, likely due to the storm's rapid forward motion. The maximum amount measured was 10. 28" at Edisto Island, South Carolina. [8]
North Carolina
North Carolina's coastline suffered significant damage along its southward-facing beaches, including Brunswick County and the Outer Banks. Brunswick County is the name of several counties in the United States Brunswick County North Carolina Brunswick County Virginia The Outer Banks is a 200-mile (320-km long string of narrow Barrier islands off the coast of North Carolina, on the east coast of the United States.
By the time it reached Charlotte, North Carolina, Hugo was still a Category 1 hurricane and was still strong enough to topple many trees across roads and houses leaving many without power, closing schools for as long as two weeks, and spawning several tornadoes. North Carolina ( is a state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States The storm took Charlotte by surprise; the city is 200 miles (320 km) inland and is frequently a stopover for people fleeing from the coast. Damage to trees was reported across much of western North Carolina.
In all, twenty-nine counties in North Carolina were declared federal disaster areas, with damages in that state alone estimated at $1 billion (1989 US dollars). The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been [9]
Mid-Atlantic
The last death caused by the storm was in East Aurora, New York near Buffalo when the winds toppled a tree onto a motorist. East Aurora is a Village in Erie County, New York, United States. Buffalo (ˈbʌfəloʊ is the second largest city in New York State.
Aftermath
Red Cross response
Extensive relief aid was provided throughout by The Salvation Army, the Red Cross and various churches. Charleston is a city in Charleston county in the US state of South Carolina. The Salvation Army is a Christian charity and church that is internally organised like a military service. The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is an International humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million volunteers worldwide who stated
St. Croix
On the island of St. Croix, looting and lawlessness reigned in the aftermath of Hugo. Phone lines, power lines, hospitals, banks, the airport and 90% of all structures were severely damaged or destroyed. Three days after the storm hit, the governor of the Virgin Islands asked United States President George H. W. Bush for federal assistance in restoring order to the island. The President of the United States is the Head of state and Head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in United States by George Herbert Walker Bush (born June 12 1924 served as the forty-first President of the United States from 1989 to 1993 On September 20, members of the XVIII Airborne "Contingency Corps" were dispatched to the island as part of Operation Hawkeye. Events 451 - The Battle of Chalons takes place in North Eastern France. Military police patrolled the island for two months, imposing a dusk-to-dawn curfew. Cargo planes brought in food, water, mobile hospital units, and other supplies while offering free evacuation flights for anyone wanting to leave for the mainland.
Economic impact
After the storm, Governor Carroll Campbell said that the storm destroyed enough timber in South Carolina to frame a home for every family in the state of West Virginia. The Governor of the State of South Carolina is the Head of state for the State of South Carolina. Carroll Ashmore Campbell Jr ( July 24, 1940 – December 7, 2005) was a U South Carolina ( is a state in the southern region ( Deep South) of the United States of America. West Virginia ( is a state in the Appalachian Upland South, and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States, bordered by
FEMA criticism
In South Carolina, which bore the brunt of the storm, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was slow in responding. The purpose of FEMA is to coordinate the response to a Disaster which has occurred in the United States and which overwhelms the resources of local and state authorities Senator Fritz Hollings referred to them as "a bunch of bureaucratic jackasses" during a speech on the floor of the United States Senate. Ernest Frederick "Fritz" Hollings (born January 1 1922) served as a Democratic United States Senator from South Carolina An investigation was launched, which led to some reforms in FEMA procedures that helped the agency do a somewhat better job during Andrew, the next catastrophic hurricane to strike the United States. Hurricane Andrew is the second most powerful and the last of three Category 5 hurricanes that made U The United States of America —commonly referred to as the However, FEMA was criticized severely in 2005 for its similarly insufficient response to Hurricane Katrina, while private relief agencies and corporations such as Wal-Mart were praised for their prompt and comprehensive response to the disaster. Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was the costliest hurricane, as well as one of the five deadliest in the history of the United States FEMA's relevancy was questioned in Katrina's aftermath.
Retirement
- See also: List of retired Atlantic hurricane names
Due to the extensive damage, the name Hugo was retired following this storm, and will never again be used for an Atlantic hurricane. This is a list of retired Atlantic hurricane names. Hurricane names are retired by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO in a meeting in March April or May It was replaced with Humberto in the 1995 season. The name Humberto has been used for three Tropical cyclones in the Atlantic Ocean. TemplateHurricane season single. -->The 1995 Atlantic hurricane season officially began on June 1 1995 and lasted until November 30 1995
In popular culture
This disaster was included as one of several different disaster scenarios in the 1993 video game SimCity 2000. SimCity 2000 ( SC2K) is a Simulation / city building computer game and the second installment in the ''SimCity''
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g NHC (1989). This is a list of notable Tropical cyclones, subdivided by basin and reason for notability Wikipedia_talkFeatured_lists#Proposed_change_to_all_featured_lists for an explanation of this and other inclusion tags below -->This is a list of all recorded Hurricane Hugo Preliminary Report. NHC. Retrieved on 2007-12-20. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 69 - Vespasian, formerly a general under Nero, enters Rome to claim the title of Emperor.
- ^ a b http://www.geocities.com/hurricanene/hurricanehugo.htm Hurricane Hugo 1989
- ^ a b Costliest U.S. Hurricanes 1900-2004 (unadjusted)
- ^ http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/pastdeadly.shtml NHC list of deadliest hurricanes
- ^ http://www.thecommonwealth.org/YearbookInternal/140416/140427/montserrat/ Commonwealth Secretariat - Montserrat
- ^ a b c http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/weather/hurricane/poststories/hugo-pr.htm WashingtonPost. com: WeatherPost - "Deadly Hugo Slams Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands"
- ^ http://www.sei.org/Bats.html Montserrat Bats
- ^ http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/tropical/rain/hugo1989rain.gif
- ^ http://www.csc.noaa.gov/products/nchaz/htm/hugo.htm NHC North Carolina hazards: Hugo
External links
- 1989 NHC Hugo Report
- 1994 NAS/NRC Hugo Report
- Hunting Hugo
- Operation Hawkeye
- NOAA Hugo history
- Another NOAA Hugo history
- NWS Service Assessment 1990 NDS Report
- HPC Tropical Cyclone Rainfall Climatology
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