Grand Isle Hurricane of 1909
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The 1909 Grand Isle hurricane was a large and deadly Category 3 hurricane that caused severe damage and killed more than 400 people throughout
Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
and the northern coast of the
Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an oceanic basin, ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of ...
. Forming out of a tropical disturbance just south of
Hispaniola Hispaniola (, also ; es, La Española; Latin and french: Hispaniola; ht, Ispayola; tnq, Ayiti or Quisqueya) is an island in the Caribbean that is part of the Greater Antilles. Hispaniola is the most populous island in the West Indies, and th ...
on September 13, 1909, the initial depression slowly intensified as it moved west-northwest towards Jamaica. Two days later, the system attained tropical storm intensity and turned northwestward towards
Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
. On September 16, it attained the equivalent of a modern-day
Category 1 hurricane Category 1 can refer to: *Category 1 cable, an electrical standard for communications wiring * Category 1 tropical cyclone, on any of the Tropical cyclone scales * Cat11egory 1 pandemic, on the Pandemic Severity Index, an American influenza pandemi ...
on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane scale and further strengthened to attain winds of before making landfall in Pinar del Río Province, Cuba on September 18. After a briefly weakening over land, the system regained strength over the Gulf of Mexico, with peak winds reaching the following day. After only slightly weakening, the hurricane increased in forward motion and made landfall near Grand Isle, Louisiana on September 21. The system quickly lost strength after moving over land, dissipating the following day over
Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...
. In the Caribbean, little impact was known to have been caused by the storm outside of Cuba where rough seas killed 29 people. In the United States, the hurricane wrought catastrophic damage across Louisiana and Mississippi. Throughout these states, 371 people are known to have been killed, making it the sixth deadliest hurricane in United States history at the time; however, it has since been surpassed by five other cyclones. Along the Louisiana coastline, a powerful
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 ...
penetrated inland, destroying the homes of 5,000 people. Thousands of other homes throughout the affected region lost their roofs and telegraph communication was crippled. In terms of monetary losses, the storm wrought $11 million (1909 USD; $265 million 2010 USD) in damage throughout its path.


Meteorological history

The origins of the Grand Isle hurricane were in a tropical disturbance over the western Atlantic Ocean in early September 1909. Enhanced by a strong area of high pressure over the
Azores ) , motto =( en, "Rather die free than subjected in peace") , anthem= ( en, "Anthem of the Azores") , image_map=Locator_map_of_Azores_in_EU.svg , map_alt=Location of the Azores within the European Union , map_caption=Location of the Azores wi ...
and
British Isles The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...
, the system was able to gradually intensify as it neared 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 ...
. On September 10,
barometric pressure Atmospheric pressure, also known as barometric pressure (after the barometer), is the pressure within the atmosphere of Earth. The standard atmosphere (symbol: atm) is a unit of pressure defined as , which is equivalent to 1013.25 millibars, 7 ...
s across several of the islands in the eastern Caribbean fell, indicating that a disturbance was moving through the region. According to the
Atlantic hurricane database The Hurricane Databases (HURDAT), managed by the National Hurricane Center, are two separate databases that contain details on tropical cyclones, that have occurred within the Atlantic Ocean and Eastern Pacific Ocean since 1851 and 1949 respective ...
, maintained by 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 ...
, the system developed into a tropical depression south of
Hispaniola Hispaniola (, also ; es, La Española; Latin and french: Hispaniola; ht, Ispayola; tnq, Ayiti or Quisqueya) is an island in the Caribbean that is part of the Greater Antilles. Hispaniola is the most populous island in the West Indies, and th ...
in the Caribbean on September 13. However, meteorologist José Fernández Partagás stated that there was no evidence of a closed circulation, a key component of tropical cyclones, until September 14.Partagás, p. 13 Tracking west-northwestward, the depression brushed the coast of
Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...
before attaining tropical storm intensity off the northwestern coast of
Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...
on September 15. After reaching this strength, the storm slowed and gradually took a more northwesterly course, heading towards Pinar del Río Province in western
Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
. On September 16, the system attained winds of , what would now be considered a
Category 1 hurricane Category 1 can refer to: *Category 1 cable, an electrical standard for communications wiring * Category 1 tropical cyclone, on any of the Tropical cyclone scales * Cat11egory 1 pandemic, on the Pandemic Severity Index, an American influenza pandemi ...
on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane scale. Moving at a slow pace of , the system gradually intensified. Late on September 18, the center of the storm was estimated to have made landfall in Pinar del Río Province with winds of ; an atmospheric pressure of 976 mbar (hPa; ) was recorded during its passage. The storm's
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 the town of Manta for four hours, between 3:00 pm and 7:00 pm on September 17. Slight weakening took place after moving over western Cuba; however, once over the
Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an oceanic basin, ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of ...
, the storm steadily regained its strength. By September 19, the system re-attained the equivalent intensity of a Category 2 hurricane and the forward motion increased. Early that morning, the storm further intensified to attain its peak winds of , equivalent to a mid-range Category 3 cyclone. By the afternoon of September 19, reports from the
Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
and
Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...
coastline indicated that the outer bands of the hurricane were producing scattered rainfall. Early on September 21, it was estimated that the center of the hurricane made landfall near Grand Isle, Louisiana with winds of . A pressure of 952 mbar (hPa; ) was recorded around this time, the lowest in relation to the storm. Operational analysis of the storm indicated that it attained the equivalent intensity of a Category 4 hurricane as it made landfall. The storm's lowest pressure was also operationally listed as 931 mbar (hPa; ). This pressure was based on operational estimates in relation to the system's storm surge and was not directly measured. However, later research of the storm determined that its winds had not exceeded . At this time, the hurricane's radius of maximum wind was roughly and the overall size of the storm was estimated to be wide. Once overland, the system quickly weakened, losing hurricane status within 12 hours and later to a tropical depression over southern
Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...
. The remnants of the system were last noted on September 22 as it merged with a
trough Trough may refer to: In science * Trough (geology), a long depression less steep than a trench * Trough (meteorology), an elongated region of low atmospheric pressure * Trough (physics), the lowest point on a wave * Trough level (medicine), the l ...
over the
Midwestern United States The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of the United States. I ...
.


Impact

In western Cuba, the hurricane brought strong winds and heavy rains to several areas. A maximum of of rain fell in a 24‑hour span, while the strongest recorded winds reached . Numerous buildings in western Cuba sustained extensive damage and a large portion of the orange crop was lost. Ships were pushed onshore by the hurricane's large swells. Throughout Pinar del Río Province, damage was estimated at $1 million (1909  USD). Amidst rough seas produced by the hurricane, the steamship ''Nicholas Castina'' sank off the coast of Cuba, near the Isle of Pines. At least 29 people drowned in the wreck. Of the fatalities, 27 were crew members and two were passengers.


United States

Prior to the hurricane's arrival in the United States, the National Weather Bureau issued several hurricane warnings. As the storm passed over western Cuba, warnings were declared for much of the Gulf Coast of
Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
and all ships in the Gulf or planning to set sail were advised return and remain at port. Warnings were then issued for the northern Gulf Coast, allowing residents time to evacuate before the storm struck. In the United States, the storm wrought extensive damage along the Gulf Coast. At least 371 people were killed by the storm; however, this is considered a conservative estimate and the true death toll may never be known. Of the known fatalities, 353 took place in Louisiana and 18 in Mississippi. This makes the 1909 Grand Isle hurricane the eleventh deadliest hurricane in United States history. However, at the time of its occurrence, it was the sixth deadliest storm in the country. Damage throughout Louisiana and Mississippi was estimated to be at least $10 million (1909 USD).


Louisiana

In
New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster.
; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...
, the storm caused substantial damage, with many homes destroyed and ships wrecked. Communication with the city was completely lost after most of the telegraph wires were downed. Around 3:00 pm on September 21, advisories from the New Orleans Weather Bureau ceased, leading to concerns over the state of the city. Prior to the communication loss, the Weather Bureau reported that waves along the
Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...
banks were surpassing and water rise in New Orleans itself could reach unprecedented levels. Several lakes overflowed their banks as water from the Mississippi River back-flowed into them, flooding nearby lowlands. The resulting floods, which inundated areas with upwards of of water, were similar in scale to the flooding caused by
Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...
in
2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...
, nearly 100 years later. However, due to the lack of residential buildings in the area at the time, the flooding caused far less destruction than that of Katrina.Gunn, p. 238 A report falsely claimed that the city's French Quarter was "swept away". A total of 306 coal barges sank off the coast of New Orleans and Lobdell ( West Baton Rouge Parish), incurring over $1 million in losses. Nearly every sugar cane plantation between New Orleans and
Baton Rouge Baton Rouge ( ; ) is a city in and the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-sma ...
sustained damage, resulting in at least $1 million in losses. Strong winds from the hurricane lifted homes off their foundations and in some cases, the homes were blown away from where they originally stood. Many towns in Louisiana were isolated immediately after the storm as telegraph communication was lost. Along a stretch of coastline near where the storm made landfall, 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 ...
destroyed the homes of 5,000 people and traveled inland. At least 300 of the fatalities took place in southeastern Louisiana, the hardest hit region. Many people who were boating on the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico were caught in the storm's winds and officials presumed that all who were caught in this perished. Near the Texas border, it was estimated that two-thirds of the unharvested rice crop was ruined by the hurricane. In Baton Rouge alone, damage from the hurricane was estimated at $2.9 million (1909 USD). Throughout Louisiana, a total of 353 people were killed by the hurricane according to the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (abbreviated as NOAA ) is an United States scientific and regulatory agency within the United States Department of Commerce that forecasts weather, monitors oceanic and atmospheric conditio ...
. A maximum of of rain fell in the state during the passage of the hurricane.


Elsewhere

At least 18 fatalities also took place in Mississippi where many towns and cities were flooded. The cities of
Natchez Natchez may refer to: Places * Natchez, Alabama, United States * Natchez, Indiana, United States * Natchez, Louisiana, United States * Natchez, Mississippi, a city in southwestern Mississippi, United States * Grand Village of the Natchez, a site o ...
and Greenville were mostly destroyed by the hurricane. In Natchez, winds up to blew roofs off homes and shut down the local power station, leaving the city in darkness. Telegraph wires were also downed, cutting communication with the surrounding area. The
Biloxi Bay Bridge The Biloxi Bay Bridge is a bridge in the U.S. state of Mississippi which carries U.S. Route 90 (US 90) over Biloxi Bay between Biloxi and Ocean Springs. Though the bridge's ballast and accompanying railroad track was heavily damaged by ...
was swamped by large waves and it was thought that it would be destroyed by the storm at one point. Although the bridge held through the storm, one person died after being washed away while crossing it. Initial estimates stated that damage in Biloxi was between $40,000 and $50,000 (1909 USD). Along a stretch of beach in Mississippi, all of the homes and of the electric car line were destroyed by the hurricane's storm surge. Further north in Jackson, communication in the city was lost and the dome of the newly constructed capital building was destroyed by high winds. Two people were killed in the city after being crushed by falling walls. A maximum of of rain fell in Mississippi during the passage of the hurricane. In areas in and around
Pensacola, Florida Pensacola () is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle, and the county seat and only incorporated city of Escambia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 54,312. Pensacola is the principal ...
, winds caused some damage. At the local pier, a ship, named ''Romanoff'', toppled over onto a
wharf A wharf, quay (, also ), staith, or staithe is a structure on the shore of a harbour or on the bank of a river or canal where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers. Such a structure includes one or more berths (mooring locatio ...
due to large waves produced by the hurricane. Two barges carrying lumber sank near the western beach of Pensacola and several others lost their cargo. Many small ships were destroyed by large swells and according to ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', some of these were "...swamped and pounded into pieces". Further inland, the remnants of the hurricane brought light to moderate rainfall to portions of the central United States. A maximum of of rain fell in
Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...
; in Missouri; in
Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
; and in
Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...
. A section of the Louisville and
Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...
railroad and an section of the
Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...
central railroad were washed out by floods caused by the storm's remnants.


Aftermath

Although the storm killed more than 370 people in the United States, the National Weather Bureau was credited for "invaluable warnings" prior to the hurricane's arrival, saving many lives. Following the hurricane's landfall on September 21, rescue and relief efforts began taking place on September 22 near
Houma, Louisiana Houma ( ) is the largest city in, and the parish seat of, Terrebonne Parish in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is also the largest principal city of the Houma– Bayou Cane–Thibodaux metropolitan statistical area. The city's government ...
. By September 25, thousands of dollars worth of supplies had been sent to survivors of the storm. However, more than four days after the passage of the storm, many other areas devastated by the hurricane had yet to receive aid from either the government or United States Army. Congressman
Robert F. Broussard Robert Foligny Broussard (August 17, 1864 – April 12, 1918) was both a United States Representative, U.S. representative and a United States Senate, U.S. senator from Louisiana. He was born on the Mary Louise plantation near New Iberia, Lo ...
sent a telegraph to the war department requesting aid; however, he had not received a response by September 27. Initially, news reports focused on the large loss of life from the storm but, once the lack of aid was noticed, their attention shifted to the hundreds of survivors who were left homeless and in dire need of basic necessities. Within days of the storm's passage, there were fears that the storm ruined the cotton crop in southern Louisiana and would cause a spike in prices. However, in a report released on October 4, 1909, it was stated that the losses were much less than previously thought and as a result, there would be no change in the cotton price. According to a report in 2009, the rice and cotton crops sustained 35% and 20% losses respectively in the wake of the hurricane. In 2002, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration added the storm surge from the hurricane to the Global
Tsunami A tsunami ( ; from ja, 津波, lit=harbour wave, ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other underwater explo ...
Database based on newspaper reports referring to the event as a tidal wave. However, four years later, a more detailed study of possible tsunamis in the past resulted in this event being "flagged" as suspect. After further review of the news articles indicating that the wave came ''after'' the hurricane, it was determined that there was a misinterpretation of the publishing date since the article was archived by telegraph on September 22, 1909, the day after the hurricane made landfall. In light of this research, the possibility of the wave being a tsunami was denied; however, it remains in the database as a "debunked" event.


See also

*
Hurricane Ida Hurricane Ida was a deadly and extremely destructive Category 4 Atlantic hurricane in 2021 that became the second-most damaging and intense hurricane to make landfall in the U.S. state of Louisiana on record, behind Hurricane Katrina in 200 ...
(2021) *
1909 Atlantic hurricane season The 1909 Atlantic hurricane season was an average Atlantic hurricane season. The season produced thirteen tropical cyclones, twelve of which became tropical storms; six became hurricanes, and four of those strengthened into major hurricanes. The ...
*
List of tropical cyclone records This is a condensed list of worldwide tropical cyclone records set by different storms and seasons. Major records See also * List of weather records ** Tornado records * List of the most intense tropical cyclones *List of wettest tropi ...
*
List of tropical cyclones This is a list of tropical cyclones, subdivided by basin. See the list of tropical cyclone records for individual records set by individual tropical cyclones. *Lists of Atlantic hurricanes – directory for Atlantic hurricanes north of the equa ...


References

;General * * * * ;Specific


External links


Monthly Weather Review for 1909
{{DEFAULTSORT:1909 Grand Isle Hurricane Category 3 Atlantic hurricanes Grand Isle Hurricanes in Louisiana Hurricanes in Alabama Hurricanes in Mississippi Grand Isle Hurricane, 1909 Hurricanes in Cuba 1909 natural disasters in the United States