The board even considered protesting news agencies that write "exaggerated" reports and warned that there would be requests for retraction. Ten people drowned, but thirteen others survived by clinging to a barge or tree tops, while one woman tied herself to a telegraph pole. 1928- Okeechobee Hurricane This classic Cape Verde-type hurricane was first detected over the tropical Atlantic on September 10, 1928 some 1450 km (900 mi) east of the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe. Checkpoints were ordered by Palm Beach County Sheriff Robert C. Baker along the main highways at Lake Worth and Jupiter. "[130] On November 18, every Catholic church in the United States contributed a portion of their offering, with $84,200 in aid given to Florida and Puerto Rico. No doubt use of this figure by the NWS dates to Mitchell (1928), who quoted a Red Cross official casualty estimate dated October 28, 1928. [108] The bodies of many dead animals were resting on the canal banks. [138] Later, in collaboration with United States Coast Guard members from Fort Lauderdale, the road between Belle Glade and Pahokee was cleared, where debris was piled as high as 5 ft (1.5 m). The hurricane, now a Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005. Nearly every building on the island of Guadeloupe was destroyed and 600-1,200 fatalities were a result of the hurricane. [49], Other severely damaged buildings in the city included the Scottish Rites Cathedral,[46] the Masonic Temple, a hotel, a car dealership, an investment company, and the auditorium of Lake Worth Community High School. Many trees were uprooted and several buildings were impacted, including the hospital and a number of businesses. Edward T. Stotesbury's estate suffered severe damage and looked like "a forest at the front during the war. [48] Strong winds deroofed the Gulf Stream Hotel and severely damaged the fifth and sixth floors, while storm surge left portions of the lobby with up to 7 ft (2.1 m) of sand. [148] In Delray Beach, a woman who completely lost her home, said she was given only "a few old pieces of clothes and a few cans of tomatoes and potted meat and a small can of milk for myself and kids." [114] Overall, 27 deaths occurred in Okeechobee County. [133] In Miami, WQAM hosted a telethon on September 22, which also included live entertainment from a Shriners band at a park amphitheater. [19] In Jupiter, 20 people sought refuge in a grocery store, while 25 others stayed at a newly constructed elementary school. [6], In the days prior to the storm, several forecasters declared that there was virtually no chance of the hurricane making landfall in Florida. [37] Winds gusting up to 70 mph (110 km/h) lashed Lakeland. [11] However, it is estimated that there were at least 2,500 deaths, primarily in the areas surrounding Lake Okeechobee. The occupants were unaware that the house was moving until it collided with a railroad embankment. The Lake Okeechobee Hurricane of the 1928 is also referred to as the Hurricane San Felipe Segundo. [90] The Glades Hotel was the only building in the city left intact. The storm is said to have caused at least 8,000 deaths, and by some reports as many as 12,000. The L. Van Son House, proclaimed as "one of the most unusual landmarks", was demolished. Seventeen windmills were demolished at the Pennock Plantation. A reader reports this cat has "moved in" to her office on South Parrott Avenue. Total dead on the roadside and not buried and counted but not in plank coffins was one hundred and twenty-six. [169], Since at least the 1990s, concerns related to the dike's stability have grown in response to studies indicating long term problems with "piping" and erosion. Sustained winds at Belle Glade peaked at 100 mph (160 km/h) and wind gusts reached 140 mph (230 km/h) before the anemometer blew away. Additionally, the hurricane demolished 268 businesses and impacted 490 others. [38] Rain entered the building occupied by Hatches, inc., damaging about 50% of the merchandise. Damage totaled around $10 million. However, in 2003 the United States death count was revised as "at least" 2,500, making the Okeechobee hurricane the second-deadliest natural disaster in United States history behind the Galveston Hurricane of 1900; a mass grave at the Port Mayaca Cemetery east of Port Mayaca contains the bodies of 1,600 victims of the hurricane. Around that time, Robert Hazard, a resident of West Palm Beach, established the Storm of '28 Memorial Park Coalition Inc. to fight for recognition of the black victims of the storm. Since the dike’s construction in the 1930s, the depth of water in Lake Okeechobee to prevent flooding has been as high 17.5 feet. After crossing Guadeloupe, the hurricane continued to strengthen and struck Puerto Rico on 13 September as a powerful Category 5 storm with winds of 256 km/h (160 mph). Many other cots and blankets were later transported to the area. With nearly 3,000 telephone poles damaged or snapped and 32,000 service outages, Southern Bell and AT&T quickly began work on restoring telephone service, sending workers from their centers in Atlanta and Jacksonville, respectively. [110] In Chosen, only two people managed to escape a house that sheltered nineteen people. "[67] Rodman Wanamaker's house, known as "La Guerida" and later the "Winter White House" during the presidency of John F. Kennedy, suffered heavy damage during the storm. [109] Dr. Buck also delegated fellow American Legionnaires and recruited other volunteers to clear the roads in the vicinity of Lake Okeechobee. One military officer reported to me that while in Belle Glade today for thirty minutes, ten bodies were brought in and added to the pile of bodies, thirty-seven in one pile and sixty in the other. Grace Campbell, a chair of a workers committee, was quoted in The Chicago Defender stating that only 20% of relief was being dispersed to African Americans. In West Palm Beach, for example, real estates costs dropped 53 percent to $41.6 million (1930 USD) between 1929 and 1930 and further to only $18.2 million (1935 USD) by 1935. Back then, Florida had many houses that were uncapable of being immune to hurricane force winds. On September 16, 1928, the Okeechobee Hurricane made landfall in Palm Beach, Florida. The hurricane still remains one of the most devastating hurricanes to have been witnessed in the world. [96] At the height of the storm, dwellings on the ridge began washing away, with nothing remaining on the west side of the ridge. A short distance to the north, a warehouse and a building occupied by a restaurant and a store were flattened. The hurricane grounded first in Puerto Rico on September 13, feast day of San Felipe, killing 1,000 people. [11] In Miami to the south of the center, winds reached 78 mph (126 km/h),[21] and farther south, Key West reported winds of only 39 mph (63 km/h). [135] Railroad companies provided free fare to storm victims until October 4, a service used by 1,427 people. The hurricane still remains one of the most devastating hurricanes to have been witnessed in the world. Leave a Comment / Natural / By devastating. Day and night, militia members and personnel of 124th Infantry Regiment of the Florida Army National Guard patrols the streets of West Palm Beach. Brown himself admitted that he was actually assaulted with a meat cleaver in a restaurant. Throughout the state, 32,000 households were left without telephone service and 400 poles were broken and about 2,500 others leaning. SEPTEMBER 16, 1928 -- a hurricane hit the Caribbean, then moved onward and upward to Florida's Atlantic coast. After a truck departed, the men would then receive their ration of whisky. [118] One fatality was reported in Stuart. [24] Agricultural losses in the area surrounding Lake Okeechobee were also significant, with virtually all crops destroyed and over 150 tractors suffering damage. Over Virginia, the then tropical storm turned to the northwest, ultimately merging with a low pressure system near Toronto, Canada on 20 September. The Ford Motor Company, the manufacturer of the tractors, sent two trucks of parts and two mechanical experts from their plant in Jacksonville. The Lake Okeechobee area was the site of the worst effects of the 1928 Okeechobee Hurricane, the first recorded Category 5 hurricane in the North Atlantic and still … However, the area north of Briny Breezes to just south of the Lake Worth Casino, was "completely washed away". [44] One death occurred in the city after a man suffered from exposure and succumbed to his condition on September 27. [27] A total of six businesses were demolished and thirteen others suffered damage. Some towns nearest the eye of the storm were almost fully destroyed. [127], In the immediate aftermath of the storm, available cots and blankets were set up in the churches, courthouses, public buildings, schools, warehouses, and other buildings that would be designated as a shelter. [86] Residents of Torry Island also did not have ample time to prepare for the storm. This ship report is believed to be the first time information was ever received by radio about a hurricane far to the east in the Atlantic. [24], In addition to the human fatalities, 1,278 livestock and 47,389 poultry were killed, respectively. This process continued day and night until October, while the search for bodies continued until November 1. [134] The city of Miami also donated 2 tanks of chlorine, 20 barrels of disinfectant, 24 lanterns, and 5,000 paper cups. Nearby, the Loxahatchee River reached 8 ft (2.4 m) at the railroad trestle. Throughout the day, hurricane warnings were also posted for the west coast from Punta Rassa to Apalachicola, and after the storm recurved, hurricane warnings were extended along the east coast to Jacksonville. City Manager A. E. Parker issued a public notice that stated "Because of the grave emergency now existing and the great need for shelter, it has not been deemed wise to insist upon building permits for necessary repairs." [27] All of the theaters in the city were damaged. Finally, the town was flooded severely during the storm and was subsequently abandoned. Along the northwest corner of the building, the exterior wall in its entirety collapsed, while the north tower was destroyed and the bay at the northeastern side of the building was removed. In West Palm Beach, one of the most severely affected coastal cities, a total of 1,711 houses were destroyed and 6,369 others suffered damage, which left about 2,100 families homeless. Towns greatly affected were Jupiter, Delray, Lake Worth, Pompano, West Palm Beach and Palm Beach, all of which were impacted by the hurricane’s 3 m (10 ft) storm surge. Additionally, the Flamingo was destroyed, with only walls remaining standing, "and precious little of them. [33], As the rear eyewall passed over the area, the flood reversed itself, breaking the dikes along the northern coast of the lake and causing a similar but smaller flooding. The eye at landfall was 25 mi (40 km) wide, and after moving inland crossed Lake Okeechobee, where a calm was reported for 30 minutes. The resulting flood covered an area of hundreds of square miles with water that in some places was over 20 ft (6 m) deep. Additionally, the hurricane demolished 268 businesses and affected 490 others. Houses and buildings would be broken down. [37] At the Japanese community known as Yamato, several frame homes were demolished, while a store was severely damaged. Tobacco, coffee, sugar, and citrus fruit crops were decimated, with coffee growers losing what had previously appeared to be the most promising harvest in several years and citrus growers losing their entire crop but managing to save most of the tress. However, Everglades News editor Howard Sharp noted that the death toll was "not understandable to the persons familiar with the region" and that "there is no 'village of Pelican Bay'". A few buildings constructed by Henry Flagler, such as The Breakers, the Royal Poinciana Hotel, and Whitehall were damaged. As a result, property values plummeted. Weather Bureau. [103] Bean City was nearly completely destroyed during the hurricane; only one home remained standing and at least a dozen people perished. The Gulf Stream Hotel in Lake Worth was converted into a hospital. [83] Throughout the city, 200 homes were completely wrecked and 300 others were damaged. [27] At the Royal Poinciana, the hotel's botanical garden, which contained hundreds of exotic trees and plants, was almost completely destroyed. Weather Underground provides tracking maps, 5-day forecasts, computer models, satellite imagery and detailed storm statistics for tracking and forecasting Lake Okeechobee Hurricane Tracker. [165] Proposals on other ways to prevent a recurrence of the 1926 and 1928 hurricanes were advanced, including "build[ing] a wall down there and keep the military there" in order to prevent further settlement in the area or constructing a dike. [27] Under the bridge across the Intracoastal Waterway, two barges were driven under the structure, causing it to move upward by almost 2 ft (0.61 m). In September 1928, only about 50,000 persons lived in South Florida. ", while the Okeechobee News called Knight "a jackass". She would like to reunite the kitty with the owner. [128] The Florida Department of Health granted the request. [153] The bodies of the African Americans who were killed and some of those whose race could not be identified were disposed of by other means. The darkened skies, howling winds, and pelting rain can be harrowing. [60] Among the buildings destroyed include a furniture store, pharmacy, warehouse, hotel, school, and an ironworks, while many other structures were unroofed. [27] The Alba (later the Biltmore), Billows, Palm Beach, and Royal Daneli hotels all suffered water damage, while the Alba Hotel was also deroofed. The Arcade and the Stanley likewise were badly impaired, but the Stanley quickly reopened by October. Along the east coast of Florida, the most severe damage was reported from Miami to Fort Pierce, particularly in Palm Beach County. Pp. Plans for construction of a memorial began. Hobe Sound, Florida-Wikipedia. [1], After World War I, South Florida experienced a land boom. 56, No. Otherwise, impact was primarily limited to tree branches falling onto electrical wires. Meteorologist Wayne Neely of Nassau, Bahamas, author of The Great Okeechobee Hurricane of 1928. However, brick and concrete-structured dwellings received little damage. A group of men with trucks were dispatched northward from Miami to clear trees and other debris from the roads. Memorial Webpage for 1928 Okeechobee Hurricane.) Total damages from the storm amounted to $100 million (1928 USD) across the Caribbean and the US.