left|thumb|225 px|Remains of a bridge at Baker's Haulover Inlet

left|thumb|230x230px|Miami Beach flooded by [[storm surge during the hurricane]]

Along the east coast of South Florida, the storm caused widespread, significant beach erosion. At Hillsboro Inlet Light, high tides removed of sand beneath the lighthouse. The hurricane swept away much of State Road A1A in Broward and Miami-Dade Counties. The combined force of waves and storm surge undermined coastal structures that collapsed, including multi-story casinos on Miami Beach, and washed out the coastal bridge on Florida State Road A1A at Baker's Haulover Inlet. In Boca Raton, waves were so large that they rose to the top of the high ridge on the barrier island, though they did not overtop it. High surf also destroyed a casino at the Boca Raton Inlet. "Knee-deep" water east of U.S. Route 1 (Federal Highway) in Boca Raton blocked beach access, but residents waded through. High tides piled debris on the streets of Palm Beach, caused a beachfront boardwalk to collapse, and exacerbated previous damage from the July hurricane. Winds peeled the roof of the grandstand at Hialeah Race Track into pieces and destroyed the kennels, allowing racing greyhounds to escape. The storm wrecked prominent restaurants and tourist attractions on Miami Beach, including the Million Dollar Pier. Many historic structures throughout South Florida sustained significant damage, including the Barnacle and the Villa Vizcaya, where the yacht Nepenthe and fishing boat Psyche were sunk. The storm damaged the main residence at the Bonnet House—the only hurricane to do so since the latter was first built. No other storm since 1926 caused a similar level of destruction to the property until Hurricane Wilma in 2005.

The storm ruined cultivated areas throughout South Florida. The storm flooded the surrounding citrus crop and agricultural fields south of Miami, particularly near Homestead and Florida City,destroying half of the citrus-bearing trees in the area.

thumb|Map of the total rainfall from the hurricane across the Southern United States

The Gulf Coast of the Florida peninsula saw comparatively less damage compared to Greater Miami but still suffered significant impacts. A peak storm tide of affected Punta Rassa and the islands of Captiva and Sanibel, causing $3,000,000 in flood damage. The storm opened Redfish Pass between Captiva and North Captiva islands. Between Tampa and Naples, strong winds destroyed windows and felled trees and power poles. In Fort Myers, citrus crops sustained some damage and public utilities were put out of commission. Strong winds uprooted trees in St. Petersburg, while heavy rainfall caused flooding in the outlying districts of nearby Tampa. Judge Jackson, a Sacred Harp singer and composer from Ozark, Alabama, memorialized the storm in the song "Florida Storm", which he published in his 1934 songbook, The Colored Sacred Harp.

Aftermath

thumb|left|225 px|[[Panorama|Panoramic view of Downtown Miami after the hurricane, wryly titled "Miami's New Drydock"]]

The disarray in Miami following the hurricane's passage led to a breakout of looting in the city's African-American districts that resulted in seven arrests. This unrest prompted the declaration of martial law with the swearing-in of 300 special policemen for voluntary duty. Similarly, 200 policemen were placed on duty in Hollywood, Florida. After a survey indicated that the available food and water supplies would only last 30 days, hoarding was banned. Afterwards, then-U.S. president Calvin Coolidge placed the United States Army and Coast Guard on standby should relief efforts necessitate their presence in Florida and the Bahamas. The Red Cross offered its facilities and the Pullman Company offered its resources for use in relief efforts. The National Guard of the United States dispatched several companies of guardsmen to disaster areas following urgent appeals from then-Florida governor John W. Martin.

thumb|right|225 px|Destruction of vegetation near Miami

According to the American Red Cross, the storm caused 372 fatalities, including 114 from the city of Miami, but these totals apparently do not include deaths outside the United States. Prior to 2003, the National Weather Service had long accepted 243 as the number of deaths, but historical research indicated that this total was far too low. The NWS then updated its totals to reflect the new findings.

thumb|left|225 px|A damaged homesite in the Miami area

Several events, including the sinking of a ship in the Miami harbor and an embargo by the Florida East Coast Railroad before the storm, weakened the Florida land boom of the 1920s in South Florida. However, the storm is considered the final blow to end the boom locally. Thousands of newcomers to Florida left the state and cleared their bank accounts, leaving many banks to the brink of bankruptcy. As a result, the Great Depression of 1929 did not make a great impact to Florida unlike the rest of the country.

See also

  • Hurricane Andrew – caused unprecedented destruction in Greater Miami before striking Louisiana
  • Hurricane Harvey – the costliest tropical cyclone in American history, noted for floods in Greater Houston
  • 1947 Fort Lauderdale hurricane – intense hurricane whose effects were lessened in southern Florida thanks to improved warning systems
  • 1945 Homestead hurricane – tracked across the Bahamas before curving into Florida and causing extensive damage
  • 1928 Okeechobee hurricane – third-deadliest tropical cyclone in American history, struck nearly two years to date after the 1926 hurricane

Notes

References

Bibliography

  • A first hand account written in 1926.
  • List of People Killed in the Great Miami Hurricane of 1926
  • 1926 issue of the Monthly Weather Review
  • United States Hurricane History
  • NOAA hurricane lists
  • Historic Images of Florida Hurricanes (Florida State Archives)