Hurricane Gilbert

Hurricane Gilbert was a large and extremely powerful tropical cyclone that formed during the 1988 Atlantic hurricane season, which peaked as a Category 5 hurricane. The storm brought widespread destruction to the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico, and is tied with 1969's Hurricane Camille as the third-most intense tropical cyclone at landfall in the Atlantic Ocean. It was also the most intense tropical cyclone on record in the Atlantic basin in terms of barometric pressure, until it was surpassed by Hurricane Wilma in 2005. Gilbert was also one of the largest tropical cyclones ever observed in the Atlantic basin. At one point, its tropical storm-force winds measured in diameter. In addition, Gilbert was the most intense tropical cyclone in recorded history to strike Mexico.

The seventh named storm, third hurricane and first major hurricane of the 1988 Atlantic hurricane season, Gilbert developed from a tropical wave on September 8 while located east of Barbados. Following intensification into a tropical storm the next day, Gilbert steadily strengthened as it tracked west-northwestward into the Caribbean Sea. On September 10, Gilbert attained hurricane intensity, and rapidly intensified into a Category 3 hurricane on September 11. After striking Jamaica the following day, rapid intensification occurred once again, and the storm became a Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale with peak 1-minute sustained winds of , late on September 13. Gilbert then weakened slightly, and made landfall on the Yucatán Peninsula later that day while maintaining Category 5 intensity. After landfall, Gilbert weakened rapidly over the Yucatán Peninsula, and emerged into the Gulf of Mexico as a Category 2 storm on September 15. Gradual intensification occurred as Gilbert tracked across the Gulf of Mexico, and the storm made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane in mainland Mexico on September 16. The hurricane gradually weakened after landfall, and eventually dissipated on September 19 over the Midwestern United States.

Gilbert wrought havoc in the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico for nearly nine days. In total, it killed 318 people and caused about $2.98 billion (1988 USD) in damages along its path. As a result of the extensive damage caused by Gilbert, the World Meteorological Organization retired the name in the spring of 1989; it was replaced with Gordon for the 1994 hurricane season.

Meteorological history

The origins of Hurricane Gilbert trace back to an easterly tropical wave—an elongated low-pressure area moving from east to west—that crossed the northwestern coast of Africa on September 3, 1988. Over the subsequent days, the wave traversed the tropical Atlantic and developed a broad wind circulation extending just north of the equator. The system remained disorganized until September 8, when satellite images showed a defined circulation center approaching the Windward Islands. The following day, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) classified it as the twelfth tropical depression of the annual hurricane season using the Dvorak technique, when it was located about east of Barbados. The depression proceeded toward the west-northwest, and while moving through the Lesser Antilles near Martinique, it gained enough strength to be designated as Tropical Storm Gilbert.

After becoming a tropical storm, Gilbert underwent a period of significant strengthening. Passing to the south of Dominican Republic and Haiti, it became a hurricane late on September 10 and further strengthened to Category 3 intensity on the Saffir–Simpson scale the next day. At that time, Gilbert was classified as a major hurricane with sustained winds of and a minimum barometric pressure of . On September 12, the hurricane made landfall on the eastern coast of Jamaica at this intensity; its -wide eye moved from east to west across the entire length of the island.

Gilbert strengthened rapidly after emerging from the coast of Jamaica. As the hurricane brushed the Cayman Islands, a reporting station on Grand Cayman recorded a wind gust of as the storm passed just to the southeast on September 13. Explosive intensification continued until Gilbert reached a minimum pressure of with maximum sustained flight-level winds of , having intensified by 72 mbar in a space of 24 hours. The storm weakened quickly while crossing land before it emerged into the Gulf of Mexico as a Category 2 hurricane. Gilbert re-strengthened rapidly, however, and made landfall for a final time as a Category 3 hurricane near La Pesca, Tamaulipas on September 16, with winds of about .

On September 12, a hurricane watch was issued for the Cayman Islands, and the hurricane watch for the southern coast of Cuba was extended to Cienfuegos, with the portion of the watch east of Camagüey upgraded to a hurricane warning. That evening, the Yucatán Peninsula was placed under a hurricane watch between Felipe Carrillo Puerto and Progreso. This area included the resort cities of Cancún and Cozumel. As Gilbert approached the Yucatán Peninsula on September 14, the hurricane warning in the region was extended to cover the entire coast between Chetumal and Champotón, while a hurricane watch was posted for the northern district of Belize. Gilberto Gutierrez, the civil defense planning director, estimated that 100 to 200 people fled their homes in the Barahona Peninsula. In Cuba, a state of emergency was declared for Granma, Guantánamo, and Santiago de Cuba provinces. Approximately 90,000 people in eastern Cuba evacuated from low-lying areas. Another 60,000 individuals fled their homes from low-lying areas of Pinar del Río Province and Isla de la Juventud. Some 4,000 Red Cross volunteers assisted with evacuations and medical needs in Cuba. Jamaican Prime Minister Edward Seaga alerted other government officials about the approaching storm, including police and armed forces, and ordered that the National Arena be used as a shelter, which thousands of people stayed at. Around 100,000 people evacuated from the Portmore area alone. The threat from Gilbert led airports to cancel inbound commercial flights, while ferry services were suspended across Kingston Harbour.

Cayman Airways evacuated residents from the Cayman Islands ahead of Gilbert. Authorities in Mexico estimated that approximately 75,000 people evacuated from parts of the Yucatán Peninsula, including tourists leaving resorts at places such as Cancún and Cozumel. Approximately 10,000 oil workers left rigs in the Gulf of Mexico. In the United States, schools closed in some coastal counties of Texas and parishes of Louisiana. All naval ships along the Gulf Coast had "been ordered out to sea to ride out the storm", according to United Press International, while the naval air stations at Beeville and Corpus Christ were closed and their aircraft flown to Lackland Air Force Base near San Antonio. Around 25,000 people evacuated in the latter, including 15,000 from southern Plaquemines Parish, 7,500 from Cameron Parish, and 2,000 from Grand Isle. and speed limits.

Impact

{|class="wikitable" align="right"

|+Impact by country

! Country !! Deaths !! Ref !! Damage !! Ref

| Mexico || 202 || || ||

|Costa Rica || 2 ||

! Total !! colspan=2|318 !! colspan=2|

Gilbert claimed 318 lives, mostly in Mexico. Exact monetary damage figures are not available, but the total for all areas affected by Gilbert is estimated to be near $2.98 billion (1988 USD).

Eastern Caribbean and Venezuela

As a tropical storm, Gilbert brought high winds and heavy rains to many of the eastern Caribbean islands. Banana crop losses from the storm in St. Lucia reached $740,000, with Guadeloupe, St. Vincent, and Dominica reporting similar damage. Damage from the storm was estimated at $3 million. In total, seven fatalities would occur in the Dominican Republic and Venezuela.

Hispaniola

Heavy rains from the outer bands of Hurricane Gilbert triggered significant flooding in the Dominican Republic and Haiti. At least nine people perished in the Dominican Republic as many rivers, including the Yuna, overtopped their banks. In light of extensive damage, the government of Haiti declared a state of emergency for the entire southern peninsula. Losses throughout Haiti were estimated at $91.2 million. causing inland flash flooding. The storm left at least $800 million (1988 USD) in damage from destroyed crops, buildings, houses, roads, and small aircraft, according to the National Library of Jamaica. However, other sources such as the Monthly Weather Review and the National Hurricane Center estimated that Gilbert caused almost $2 billion in damage in the country. Regardless, Gilbert was one of the most destructive storms in the history of Jamaica and the most severe storm since Hurricane Charlie in 1951.

Seaga described a few districts of Portland and Saint Thomas parishes as completely devastated and reported heavy damage in Hanover, Saint Catherine, and Westmoreland parishes, including the destruction of hundreds of acres of sugarcane and coconut groves.

thumb|left|Buildings destroyed after Hurricane Gilbert

Government officials initially estimated approximately 100,000 homes were demolished and another 300,000 suffered severe damage or lost their roof, with around 500,000 people, roughly 20% of the population of Jamaica, becoming homeless. The country's banana crop and poultry industry were also virtually wiped out. Two people eventually had to be rescued because of mudslides triggered by Gilbert and were sent to the hospital. The two people were reported to be fine. No planes were going in and out of Kingston, and telephone lines were jammed from Jamaica. At least 50 people were left homeless and losses were expected to be in the millions. Sixteen people perished in Guatemala and another five died in Nicaragua, leaving a total of 21 people dead in Central America.

Mexico

thumb|left|Rainfall in the United States and Mexico from Gilbert

Although no wind observations were available from Mexico, which the storm struck as a Category 5 hurricane. Rainfall in Mexico peaked at in Progreso, Yucatán. The NHC noted that the Yucatán Peninsula likely had storm surge ranging from above ground near and north of where the hurricane made landfall, although Esmas.com reported a peak of around . The east coast of Mexico experienced storm surge totals from above ground around and just north of the point where Gilbert struck the country again. Overall, the hurricane caused 202 deaths and approximately $2 billion in damage. A local official estimated that Gilbert demolished and substantially damaged approximately 80% of palapas, a type of structure that roughly 60% of residents live in. Quintana Roo Governor Miguel Borge reported that damages in Cancún were estimated at more than 1.3 billion Mexican pesos (1988 pesos; $500 million in USD). A further loss of $87 million (1989 USD) due to a decline in tourism was estimated for the months of October, November and December in 1988. Damage to the vegetation of Cozumel Island combined with human habitat alteration is blamed for the rapid decline and possible extinction of the endemic Cozumel Thrasher. Additionally, the endangered Cozumel raccoon species had been significantly impacted by Gilbert's destruction, forcing them to move the entire population off of Passion Island and onto the north side of Cozumel. Gilbert is considered one of the leading causes for the Cozumel raccoons becoming critically endangered, with estimates suggesting only 192 to 300 of the raccoons still remain as of 2011.

Strong winds in the state of Yucatán littered the streets with hundreds of tree branches and pieces of corrugated tin roofs. Additionally, high tensions towers crashed on to a highway from Mérida to Valladolid and a number of electrical and telephone lines were downed, almost completely severing communications from the state. In Valladolid, the hurricane destroyed dozens of homes.

As Gilbert lashed the third largest city of Mexico, Monterrey, it brought very high winds, torrential rains, and extensive flash floods. More than 60 people died from raging flood waters, and it was feared that more than 150 people died when five buses carrying evacuees were overturned in the raging floodwaters. Six policemen died when they were swept away while trying to rescue passengers on buses stranded by the Santa Catarina River. The residents of Monterrey had no power or drinking water, and most telephone lines were down. As the water receded, vehicles began appearing with their wheels up, jammed with mud and rocks.

In Saltillo, five people died in road accidents caused by heavy rain, and almost 1,000 were left homeless. Gilbert dumped torrential rains and spawned some tornadoes.

United States

Gilbert caused three deaths and approximately $80 million in damage in the United States, where a thunderstorm associated with Gilbert produced wind gusts as high as . All three tornadoes spawned in Alabama uprooted trees, while one also toppled permanent signs in Daleville. An F0 tornado in Lacombe caused slight damage to a commercial building and ripped branches from trees.

Oklahoma recorded the highest rainfall in the United States at , in Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge. According to the Weather Prediction Center, rainfall in Texas peaked at in Anson, although Storm Data noted that of precipitation fell in Lamar. While some places experienced flash flooding, rainfall in Texas was generally beneficial. Minor coastal flooding occurred in the Greater Houston area.

In Val Verde County, four tornadoes touched-down. Although two inflicted no impacts, one damaged some outbuildings near Comstock and another along the northside of Del Rio severely damaged 89 homes, 15 to 20 cars, and a marina on Lake Amistad, and destroyed 18 residences, while several mobile homes experienced either substantial damage or were demolished. Gilbert dropped of rain over Val Verde County, causing the Devils and Pecos rivers to overflow. Floodwaters inundated the Texas State Highway 163 bridge, leading to its closure. Concho County reported six tornadoes, although only one rendered any impacts, limited to minorly damaging a barn and toppling several trees on the west end of Eden.

Relief efforts

Partners of the Americas, a coalition of 60 countries, established a special relief fund for Jamaica and Mexico. Red Cross chapters in the British and United States Virgin Islands solicited monetary contributions, which they used to purchase supplies such as batteries, candles, baby food, canned food, and flashlights. In Texas, a major disaster was declared on October 5, 1988, which included Bexar, Cameron, and Hidalgo counties.

The government of Haiti requested that the Office of the United Nations Disaster Relief Coordinator issue an appeal for international aid due to heavy damage in the southern parts of the country. The Armed Forces conducted damage and needs surveys. By October 10, the governments of Canada, France, and Switzerland each donated more than $30,000, while Catholic Relief Services expended just over $111,000 in aid and CARE International contributed thousands of bottles of oil and bags of milk and wheat.

Jamaica

Jampress stated that Edward Seaga, Prime Minister of Jamaica, described shelters in Kingston as appearing to have adequate supplies, but that food should be airlifted to inland communities left isolated due to impassible roads. Within a few days of Gilbert's landfall, Seaga viewed damage across Jamaica with U.S. Ambassador Michael G. Sotirhos and United States Agency for International Development (USAID) director William Joslyn. United States Navy cargo planes quickly sent water storage tanks and roof covering made of plastic. Additionally, USAID donated relief supplies with a monetary value of nearly $400,000, including 9,600 blankets, almost 4,000 water jugs, 360 plastic sheeting rolls, 200 tents, 18 water tanks, and 10 chain saws. On September 15, the European Economic Community (EEC) agreed to allocate $728,000 to Jamaica. The EEC also announced their intentions to send an initial shipment of about 16,000 blankets and 500 plastic rolls via the British Red Cross. Although a Market Research Services Ltd. poll from November 25 to December 2, 1988, noted that 53% of respondents favored Seaga handling recovery efforts versus 38% for opposition leader Michael Manley, election polls around that time indicated that Manley's People's National Party lead Seaga's Jamaica Labour Party by a margin of about 10%. Most candidates for the election inspected damage on the island and vigorously participated in relief efforts.

Records

On September 13, Hurricane Gilbert attained a record low central pressure of 888 mb (hPa; 26.22 inHg), surpassing the previous minimum of set by the 1935 Labor Day hurricane. This made it the strongest tropical cyclone on record in the north Atlantic basin at the time. It was surpassed by Hurricane Wilma in 2005, which attained a central pressure of . It was replaced by Gordon for the 1994 season.

Popular culture

In Jamaica, dance hall DJ Lovindeer released a single called "Wild Gilbert" a few days after the storm. It was the fastest selling reggae record in the history of Jamaican music. In 1989, the PBS series Nova released the episode "Hurricane!" that featured Gilbert (later modified in 1992 to reflect Hurricane Andrew and Hurricane Iniki).