In September 2004,
Hurricane Ivan caused significant effects in the
Lesser Antilles
The Lesser Antilles ( es, link=no, Antillas Menores; french: link=no, Petites Antilles; pap, Antias Menor; nl, Kleine Antillen) are a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea. Most of them are part of a long, partially volcanic island arc betwe ...
and
South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...
, including 44 deaths and over $1 billion in damage (2004 USD), primarily in
Grenada
Grenada ( ; Grenadian Creole French: ) is an island country in the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea at the southern end of the Grenadines island chain. Grenada consists of the island of Grenada itself, two smaller islands, Carriacou and Pe ...
where it was considered the worst hurricane in nearly 50 years.
Hurricane Ivan developed from a
tropical wave
A tropical wave (also called easterly wave, tropical easterly wave, and African easterly wave), in and around the Atlantic Ocean, is a type of atmospheric trough, an elongated area of relatively low air pressure, oriented north to south, which ...
on September 2 and rapidly intensified to become a major hurricane, passing through the southern
Lesser Antilles
The Lesser Antilles ( es, link=no, Antillas Menores; french: link=no, Petites Antilles; pap, Antias Menor; nl, Kleine Antillen) are a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea. Most of them are part of a long, partially volcanic island arc betwe ...
on September 7 with winds of . At the time, its typical storm force winds extended outward up to with hurricane-force winds outward to ,
and the northern portion of the
eye
Eyes are organs of the visual system. They provide living organisms with vision, the ability to receive and process visual detail, as well as enabling several photo response functions that are independent of vision. Eyes detect light and conv ...
passed over Grenada.
In the region, the worst damage occurred on Grenada, where the damage total of $1.1 billion (2004 USD, ($ USD)) represented 200% of its
GDP. The hurricane damaged more than 14,000 homes and destroyed 30% of the houses, leaving about 18,000 people homeless. A total of 39 people were killed by the hurricane on the island. Elsewhere, Hurricane Ivan caused at least three fatalities and moderate damage in northern
Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
. One person died each in
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...
and
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate). ...
. The name ''Ivan'' was later
retired
Retirement is the withdrawal from one's position or occupation or from one's active working life. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours or workload.
Many people choose to retire when they are elderly or incapable of doing their j ...
.
Preparations
Early in the duration of the storm, the
National Hurricane Center
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is the division of the United States' NOAA/National Weather Service responsible for tracking and predicting tropical weather systems between the Prime Meridian and the 140th meridian west poleward to the 3 ...
consistently forecast Ivan to track further to the north than it eventually did. Late on September 5, the government of Barbados issued a
hurricane watch for its territory. Shortly thereafter,
Saint Lucia
Saint Lucia ( acf, Sent Lisi, french: Sainte-Lucie) is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean. The island was previously called Iouanalao and later Hewanorra, names given by the native Arawaks and Caribs, two Amerindian ...
was put under a hurricane watch and Grenada and its dependencies were put under a tropical storm watch. As the hurricane approached the southern Lesser Antilles, more watches were issued, and by 24 hours prior to Ivan passing through the island chain a hurricane warning was in effect for Barbados, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Lucia,
Tobago
Tobago () is an List of islands of Trinidad and Tobago, island and Regions and municipalities of Trinidad and Tobago, ward within the Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. It is located northeast of the larger island of Trini ...
, and Grenada, and a tropical storm warning was in effect for Trinidad. With the path of Ivan more southerly than predicted, the hurricane warnings were downgraded to tropical storm warnings for the northern islands, and by late on September 7 when the eye of the hurricane passed near Grenada, hurricane warnings were in effect for Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, and Grenada. Subsequently, a tropical storm warning was issued for the northern coast of Venezuela through the
Guajira Peninsula
The Guajira Peninsula ( es, Península de La Guajira, links=no, also spelled ''Goajira'', mainly in colonial period texts, guc, Hikükariby) is a peninsula in northern Colombia and northwestern Venezuela in the Caribbean. It is the northernm ...
of
Colombia
Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...
.
In Venezuela, citizens in coastal areas of
Falcón
)
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,
Sucre
Sucre () is the Capital city, capital of Bolivia, the capital of the Chuquisaca Department and the List of cities in Bolivia, 6th most populated city in Bolivia. Located in the south-central part of the country, Sucre lies at an elevation of . T ...
and
Isla Margarita were moved to safer areas,
and several thousands were evacuated due to the hurricane. The
Simón Bolívar International Airport, as well as three other mainland airports, were closed.
Petróleos de Venezuela S.A.
Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PDVSA, ) (English: Petroleum of Venezuela) is the Venezuelan state-owned oil and natural gas company. It has activities in exploration, production, refining and exporting oil as well as exploration and production ...
temporarily closed its oil refinery in
Curaçao
Curaçao ( ; ; pap, Kòrsou, ), officially the Country of Curaçao ( nl, Land Curaçao; pap, Pais Kòrsou), is a Lesser Antilles island country in the southern Caribbean Sea and the Dutch Caribbean region, about north of the Venezuela coast ...
, and two ports were briefly shut down; this caused a delay in two oil deliveries. The
Valero Energy Corporation
Valero Energy Corporation is a Fortune 500 international manufacturer and marketer of transportation fuels, other petrochemical products, and power. It is headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, United States. Throughout the United States and Can ...
shut down its largest oil refinery in
Aruba
Aruba ( , , ), officially the Country of Aruba ( nl, Land Aruba; pap, Pais Aruba) is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands physically located in the mid-south of the Caribbean Sea, about north of the Venezuela peninsula of ...
. Prior to the arrival of the hurricane, oil companies in
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...
ceased production and removed workers from offshore rigs; the
Atlantic LNG
The Atlantic LNG Company of Trinidad and Tobago is a liquefied natural gas (LNG) producing company operating a liquefied natural gas plant in Point Fortin, Trinidad and Tobago. Atlantic LNG operates four liquefaction units (trains). Train 4, with ...
company closed exports.
Seven shelters were opened on Tobago, where about 560 people evacuated for the storm. Two people died: one man trying to save his car, and one girl sleeping in her bed, when a tree fell on the roof above her room. Most evacuees were from low-lying areas, and on the day of the storm's passage most schools and businesses were closed.
The two main airports in the country were closed, with one airline canceling all of its flights.
Over 1,000 people evacuated to emergency shelters on Grenada,
including hundreds in low-lying areas in the capital city.
Some shelters were damaged during the hurricane, forcing the evacuees to go elsewhere.
Overall, the population responded little to the official advisories and recommendations, which potentially contributed to the death toll on the island.
More than 1,000 residents of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines evacuated to 28 emergency shelters.
On Barbados, officials closed schools and government buildings and prepared shelters prior to the arrival of the hurricane. To minimize danger, the island power grid was shut down.
Four shelters opened on Saint Lucia,
where many people sought safety during the storm.
Impact
Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago, and the ABC islands
Along the northern coastline of Venezuela, the hurricane produced heavy precipitation and a
storm surge
A storm surge, storm flood, tidal surge, or storm tide is a coastal flood or tsunami-like phenomenon of rising water commonly associated with low-pressure weather systems, such as cyclones. It is measured as the rise in water level above the n ...
of about , which damaged 60 homes.
Sustained winds on Isla Margarita peaked at , and the most affected states were
Falcón
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, map_caption = Location within Venezuela
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,
Vargas,
Aragua,
Carabobo
, anthem = '' Himno del Estado Carabobo''
, image_map = Carabobo in Venezuela.svg
, map_alt =
, map_caption = Location within Venezuela
, pushpin_map =
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, and
Anzoátegui
)
, anthem = '' Himno del Estado Anzoátegui''
, image_map = Anzoategui in Venezuela.svg
, map_alt =
, map_caption = Location within Venezuela
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.
Further inland, two people drowned when a river overflowed its banks,
and near
Caracas
Caracas (, ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas, abbreviated as CCS, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the ...
a man died after strong winds toppled a wall.
The combination of rainfall and winds destroyed 21 houses and blew off the roof of several others, affecting 1,376 people, of whom 80 were left homeless. Power outages and lack of water were reported.
In the country, the hurricane caused 127 injuries,
and a death toll reported between three
and five.
An initial news story reported 28 people missing offshore on three boats.
Moderate wind gusts of up were reported in Tobago,
which downed several trees and caused power outages in seven villages;
power was cut to more than 30% of the island.
Twenty villages on the island suffered various forms of damage, and at least 45 homes lost their roofs.
The hurricane left 22 people homeless and directly impacted about 1,000 people.
The hurricane caused one death when a falling tree killed a woman.
Wave heights were estimated at ,
and at least one home collapsed and fell into the ocean.
Rainfall from the storm's passage unofficially peaked at on the island,
which caused some mudslides. Some crop damage was also reported, and overall damage on Tobago was estimated at $4.9 million (2004 USD, ($ USD));
damage in neighboring Trinidad was minimal.
As Ivan continued to strengthen, it proceeded about north of the
ABC islands on September 9. High winds blew away roof shingles and produced large
swells that battered several coastal facilities. A developing
spiral band dropped heavy rainfall over
Aruba
Aruba ( , , ), officially the Country of Aruba ( nl, Land Aruba; pap, Pais Aruba) is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands physically located in the mid-south of the Caribbean Sea, about north of the Venezuela peninsula of ...
, causing flooding and $1.1 million worth in structural damage.
Grenada
Passing just to the south of the island, Hurricane Ivan produced strong winds in Grenada, with sustained winds reaching and gusts peaking at at
Point Salines International Airport
Maurice Bishop International Airport , formerly known as Point Salines Airport, is an international airport located in the parish of St. George's. The town of St. George's is about north of the airport and is the capital of the island nat ...
. The airport recorded of precipitation during the hurricane's passage.
Of the nation's six
parishes
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...
, the four southernmost ones were most severely affected, constituting 80 percent of the total population.
The strong winds impacted more than 14,000 homes on Grenada
with 90 percent of the nation's houses damaged and of which 30 percent were destroyed.
The capital city of
St. George's was severely damaged,
where every major building was either damaged or destroyed.
Ivan's passage either damaged or destroyed 85 percent of the structures on the island, including the nation's emergency operations center
and a 17th-century prison, which allowed many inmates to briefly escape during the height of the storm.
The hurricane damaged or destroyed 75 primary or secondary schools, with only two left in working condition.
All of Grenada was left without power or running water.
York House, home of the
Parliament of Grenada was destroyed.
Tourism was adversely affected; an estimated 60 percent of hotel rooms were damaged.
The winds downed 80 percent of the
nutmeg
Nutmeg is the seed or ground spice of several species of the genus ''Myristica''. ''Myristica fragrans'' (fragrant nutmeg or true nutmeg) is a dark-leaved evergreen tree cultivated for two spices derived from its fruit: nutmeg, from its seed, an ...
trees on the island,
with other crop losses varying between 60 and 90 percent.
An estimated 18,000 people were left homeless by the hurricane, and about 700 people sustained injuries from the storm.
Ivan was considered the worst hurricane to strike the nation since
Hurricane Janet
Hurricane Janet was the most powerful tropical cyclone of the 1955 Atlantic hurricane season and one of the strongest North Atlantic tropical cyclone, Atlantic hurricanes on record. Janet was also the first named storm to have 1,000 deaths and th ...
in
1955
Events January
* January 3 – José Ramón Guizado becomes president of Panama.
* January 17 – , the first nuclear-powered submarine, puts to sea for the first time, from Groton, Connecticut.
* January 18– 20 – Battle of Yijian ...
;
its passage resulted in 39 fatalities and $1.1 billion in damage (2004 USD, ($ USD),
about 200% of its
GDP and of which about 45% resulted from housing damage.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Barbados, and northward
Wave heights from the hurricane reached along coastline portions of
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines () is an island country in the Caribbean. It is located in the southeast Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, which lie in the West Indies at the southern end of the eastern border of the Caribbean Sea wh ...
,
which washed away 2 homes;
the storm surge destroyed 19 homes and damaged 40 more.
On
Union Island, the winds damaged the roof of a hospital, while the northern portion of the island sustained heavy damage from the waves.
Moderate damage was also reported on
Palm Island and
Carriacou and Petite Martinique
Carriacou and Petite Martinique, also known as the Southern Grenadines, is a dependency of Grenada, lying north of Grenada island and south of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in the Lesser Antilles. The islands of Carriacou and Petite Martiniq ...
.
The winds left more than two-thirds of the island without power,
and also damaged the island's banana crop. Damage in the country totaled $40 million (2004 USD, ($ USD).
On the island of Barbados, sustained winds peaked at while gusts reached ,
which damaged many trees and roofs.
A total of 531 houses were damaged,
of which 43 were completely destroyed.
Additionally, four hotels sustained some damage.
The winds left most of island without electricity,
though officials worked quickly to restore the power.
Rainfall from the storm was light, with less than in most areas.
Storm surge and wave action caused
beach erosion
Coastal erosion is the loss or displacement of land, or the long-term removal of sediment and rocks along the coastline due to the action of waves, currents, tides, wind-driven water, waterborne ice, or other impacts of storms. The landward ...
that severely damaged most coastal roads. One death was reported on the island,
and damage was estimated at more than $5 million (2004 USD, ($ USD).
Strong winds and rough surf caused moderate coastal damage to southern portions of Saint Lucia; the combination impacted houses near the coast and also led to losses in the banana crop.
Minor roof damage was also reported,
and damage totalled $2.6 million (2004 USD $ USD)) on the island;
three serious injuries were reported on the island due to the hurricane, though no fatalities were reported.
In
Dominica
Dominica ( or ; Kalinago: ; french: Dominique; Dominican Creole French: ), officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island country in the Caribbean. The capital, Roseau, is located on the western side of the island. It is geographically ...
, winds reached .
High waves from Ivan caused light damage to southwestern
Martinique
Martinique ( , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Matinik or ; Kalinago: or ) is an island and an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France. An integral part of the French Republic, Martinique is located in th ...
and
Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe (; ; gcf, label=Antillean Creole, Gwadloup, ) is an archipelago and overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands—Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galante, La Désirade, and the ...
.
Aftermath
The government of Barbados created a Hurricane Ivan Housing Recovery Project, which repaired or rebuilt 190 houses for people without the available funds; around 90 homes required minor immediate repairs, while the rest required significant reconstruction. The project finished in early 2006 for a total of $5 million (2004
BBD, ($ USD).
![Hurricane Ivan Grenada damage](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/85/Hurricane_Ivan_Grenada_damage.jpg)
Several nearby countries assisted Grenada in its aftermath. The government of
Guyana
Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...
shipped about $250,000 (2004 USD, $40 million 2004 GYD) worth of sugar, as well as 100 members of the Guyana Defense Force to assist in restoring order and reconstruction. The government of
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...
sent 190 policemen, and the government of
Anguilla
Anguilla ( ) is a British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. It is one of the most northerly of the Leeward Islands in the Lesser Antilles, lying east of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands and directly north of Saint Martin. The territo ...
sent 1,230 cases of water. A committee of Caribbean nations realized the local governments could not provide the support that Grenada needed in its aftermath, and thus turned to international assistance. Within a day of Ivan passing to the south of Grenada, the
United States Agency for International Development
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government that is primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance. With a budget of over $27 bi ...
(USAID) deployed 67,600 gallons of water, 500 rolls of plastic sheeting, four 10,000 liter water bladder kits, and a water treatment kit; assistance from USAID totaled $6 million (2004 USD) within a few weeks of the storm's passage, primarily in aid for reconstruction and rehabilitation.
In the weeks subsequent to the hurricane, the
European Commission Humanitarian aid Office
The Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO), formerly known as the European Community Humanitarian Aid Office, is the European Commission's department for overseas humanitarian aid and for civil ...
(ECHO) provided €3 million (2004
EUR
The euro (symbol: €; code: EUR) is the official currency of 19 out of the member states of the European Union (EU). This group of states is known as the eurozone or, officially, the euro area, and includes about 340 million citizens . Th ...
). By a year later, housing redevelopments and disaster preparation problems continued after being impacted by
Hurricane Emily The name Emily has been used for fourteen tropical cyclones worldwide, seven in the Atlantic Ocean, five in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, and two in the Southern Hemisphere.
In the Atlantic:
* Hurricane Emily (1981) – crossed Bermuda
*Hurricane Emi ...
; as a result, the ECHO provided €1.2 million (2005 EUR) to Grenada in September 2005.
Nine months after the hurricane, Chinese officials provided assistance in reconstruction and handling foreign debts after meeting with the Grenadian Prime Minister;
in 2007, Chinese officials funded the construction of a new $40 million (2007 USD) cricket stadium near St. George's. The
Caribbean Development Bank approved a $10 million loan (2004 USD) requested by the government of Grenada in July 2005, which was intended to assist in long-term development of the housing, business, and environmental sectors. Emergency operations in Grenada in coordination with the
Pan American Disaster Response Unit ended in July 2005.
Within a few days after the hurricane passed, the Grenada Emergency Operations Center temporarily prevented relief supplies from entering the country to ensure the safety of the incoming items; the decision was reversed shortly thereafter, and planes flew supplies during daylight hours into the reopened airport. Severe looting occurred in the immediate aftermath of Ivan, prompting police officials to enact a curfew for the night hours.
In the first week following the hurricane, aid was slow to the affected residents, due to the lack of an efficient aid distribution system.
30 official shelters and 17 prepared ones housed over 5,000 people in the aftermath of the storm.
Thousands of people lost their jobs due to the hurricane, with all businesses shut down following the hurricane.
By two months after the hurricane struck, 65 schools were opened, some of which serving as shelters; water and power were gradually restored to the island.
By a year after the storm's passage, all schools were reopened, and most buildings enacted provisional repairs.
Officials determined around 10,000 houses on the island required complete reconstruction, while a further 22,000 needed repairs.
The government of Grenada initially planned to rebuild 1,000 houses in the year after the hurricane struck;
by June 2005, 260 families were provided houses, with a further 85 under construction. The government also established a Material Assistance Programme, which provided $5,000 (2004
XCD) of free materials to more than 5,000 families, as well as a total of $4.3 million (2004 XCD) in low interest loans to 148 families.
Several indirect fatalities occurred in the aftermath of the hurricane, primarily senior citizens.
See also
*
List of South America hurricanes
A South American hurricane is a tropical cyclone that affects the continent of South America or its countries. The continent is rarely affected by tropical cyclones, though most storms to hit the area are formed in the North Atlantic Ocean. Typic ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Effects Of Hurricane Ivan In The Lesser Antilles And South America
2004 in Grenada
2004 in South America
2004 in the Caribbean
Ivan
Lesser Antilles and South America
Ivan Effects
Ivan Effects
Ivan Effects
Ivan Lesser Antilles and South America