Hurricane Inez was a powerful and very devastating Category 5 major hurricane that affected the Caribbean, Bahamas, Florida, and Mexico, killing over 1,000 people in 1966. It was the first storm on record to affect all of those areas. It originated from a tropical wave over Africa, and became a tropical depression by September 21. It moved slowly westward, initially failing to intensify much; it was upgraded to Tropical Storm Inez on September 24. The storm strengthened into a hurricane and was quickly intensifying when it struck the French overseas region of Guadeloupe on September 27. Inez severely damaged the island's banana and sugar crops, and thousands of homes were damaged, leaving 10,000 people homeless. Damage on Guadeloupe was estimated at $50 million, and there were 40 deaths. After entering the Caribbean, Inez briefly weakened before restrengthening, attaining peak sustained winds of on September 28, eventually making landfall at that intensity in the Dominican Republic. That day a hurricane hunters flight reported a gust of , which was the highest recorded at the time.
Continuing westward, Inez made landfall as a small hurricane on the Barahona Peninsula of the Dominican Republic. There, the storm flooded many rivers and destroyed over 800 houses. Nationwide, there were about 100 deaths and $12 million in damage. After affecting the country, Inez struck southwestern Haiti, where it was considered the worst hurricane since the 1920s. As many as 1,000 people were killed, and 60,000 people were left homeless. Damage totaled $20.35 million in Haiti, prompting the United States government to send aid for the first time in nearly ten years due to previous mishandling of funds. Inez weakened quickly over Hispaniola, although it reintensified into a major hurricane before striking southeastern Cuba on September 30. In the country, 125,000 people were forced to evacuate, and there were three deaths and $20 million in damage.
The hurricane moved slowly over Cuba for two days before emerging into the Atlantic Ocean near the Bahamas. It was expected to continue out to sea, although it stalled and resumed its previous westward path. In the Bahamas, heavy rainfall and high tides caused flooding, which killed five people and left $15.5 million in damage. Hurricane-force winds occurred throughout the Florida Keys, where 160 homes and 190 trailers were damaged. Salt spray damaged crops in the region, and there was $5 million in damage and four deaths. In the Straits of Florida, Inez capsized a boat of Cuban refugees, killing 45 people. In the northern Gulf of Mexico, a helicopter crashed after carrying evacuees from an oil rig, killing 11 people. The hurricane threatened the northern Yucatán Peninsula, and although it remained offshore, Inez produced flooding and caused some power outages. At its final landfall, Inez flooded portions of Tamaulipas and cut off roads to Tampico. About 84,000 people were left homeless, and the hurricane destroyed at least 2,500 houses. Damage was estimated at $154 million, and there were 74 deaths in Mexico.
Meteorological history
The origins of Inez were from a tropical wave that formed over the Sahara in central Africa on September 15 from the monsoon. It moved westward in the prevailing winds, exiting the west coast of Africa on September 18. The precursor to Inez was a disturbance along the northern portion of the wave, which was considered a tropical depression by September 18 in the annual tropical cyclone summary. Tracked by satellites, the system moved to the west-southwest, With warm water temperatures, the storm developed a circular area of convection over its center. This re-analysis has been officially accepted and included in HURDAT.
thumb|right|This weather radar image of Hurricane Inez was taken on September 29, 1966, at 0127 UTC
While near peak intensity, Inez was located about southwest of San Juan, Puerto Rico, and the eye was tracked by radar from the island. Its increasing outflow caused Tropical Storm Judith to the east over the central Atlantic to dissipate. On September 29, the small but powerful hurricane made landfall on the Barahona Peninsula, and quickly weakened over land. It briefly moved offshore and struck the southern peninsula of Haiti near Jacmel. The eye emerged into the Windward Passage near Léogâne, although severely weakened. The pressure rose to ,
Preparations
In Guadeloupe, which was the first area the hurricane affected, residents evacuated to schools set up as shelters. Pan American World Airways canceled flights to the region. When Inez was near peak intensity, the NHC warned residents in southern Haiti and the Dominican Republic of the danger posed by the hurricane. The agency emphasized that the eye was visible on radar to calm tension of an unexpected change in track. In general, hurricane warnings were issued 24 hours in advance, with the exception of southeastern Florida due to the hurricane's slowing track. At Guantánamo Bay, officials ordered residents at the naval base to evacuate to storm shelters. Large ships at the port there were moved to Jamaica before the storm struck. Throughout eastern Cuba, Premier Fidel Castro ordered about 125,000 people to evacuate in low-lying areas, mostly in Oriente Province. United States Air Force tracking stations in the Bahamas were secured or moved to safer locations. Residents in the Florida Keys boarded up windows and store fronts, and hundreds of people evacuated to a shelter in Key West. In southeastern Florida, government offices and schools closed.
Along the Yucatán peninsula, about 15,000 people were evacuated from the coastal city of Progreso, in a region that seldom experiences hurricanes. When Inez was approaching its final landfall, the United States Weather Bureau issued hurricane warnings from Brownsville to Port Isabel, Texas, with gale warnings northward to Corpus Christi. At least 2,000 people evacuated from Port Isabel alone, and many shrimp boats were secured. In the Tampico area where Inez made its final landfall, over 31,000 people evacuated to higher grounds. Hundreds of people were injured, although because of damaged hospitals and the power outage, most only received makeshift treatment. as well as the coffee, sugar cane, and cocoa crops along the Barahona Peninsula. In the capital city of Santo Domingo, heavy rains flooded hundreds of homes along the Ozama River, forcing thousands to evacuate. The Haitian government reported over 1,000 deaths in the weeks after the storm. The United States government reported that the hurricane "killed no more than 50" in Haiti, and "nor was there a real emergency," due to president François Duvalier misusing previous aid. The U.S. assessment was incorrect, as the 1966 annual tropical cyclone summary in the Monthly Weather Review indicated 750 deaths in Haiti, Throughout Hispaniola, about 1,500 people were seriously injured, and many people were still recovering from Hurricane Flora in 1963.
A station at Guantánamo Bay reported winds of when Inez moved ashore in Cuba, and rainfall reached . mostly in low-lying areas. One building was destroyed in Havana. Nationwide, Inez injured at least 38 people, 45 people died due to the boat capsizing. Inez was considered a "dry hurricane", and about of the precipitation that fell was largely in the form of sea water spray.
left|thumb|Flooding and Strong Winds in [[Miami during Hurricane Inez in October 3]]
During its passage, Inez produced above normal tides, reaching above normal on Big Pine Key. Inez produced strong winds while it was intensifying, Power outages were reported in Key West. and the last hurricane to strike the Florida Keys until Hurricane Kate in 1985.
When Inez was making its final landfall in Mexico, its outer circulation reached southern Texas, producing winds of and trace rainfall. Tides reached above normal in Corpus Christi,
Mexico
While the hurricane was off the north coast of the Yucatán peninsula, Inez produced sustained winds of , with gusts to , in Mérida. Agriculture damage along the Yucatán reached US$50 million. In Tamaulipas, 15 people died while trying to deliver supplies to residents along the Tamesi River. Throughout the country, the hurricane left about 84,000 people homeless, and destroyed at least 2,500 houses. Agricultural damage totaled over $80 million, and property damage was estimated at $24 million in Tampico and Ciudad Madero alone. Overall, Inez killed 74 people in Mexico. In late October 1966, the French government set up a relief fund for Guadeloupe totaling $34 million (₣170 million francs). The government initiated plans to rebuild the island to withstand the winds of strong hurricanes. Due to the heavy damage in Hispaniola, VMM-365, a United States Marine Corps helicopter division, spent 454 hours and flew 740 sorties to provide 186,676 tons of relief supplies to Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The division also helped evacuate 142 hospital patients. The Dominican Air Force also assisted in transporting injured people from outlying areas to Santo Domingo. The United States also sent vaccines and 4,360 pounds of food.
In Cuba, sailors on the USS America (CV-66) spent about 1,700 hours to assist Guantánamo Bay in recovery. The sole survivor of the sinking boat carrying Cuban exiles was tried in a military tribunal. The man was held responsible for the 44 boat deaths and was quickly executed by the Cuban government. The United States Coast Guard deployed boats, helicopters, and airplanes to find victims of the boat capsized in the Straits of Florida. The country's military sent helicopters and planes to join the Mexican Air Force, In the weeks after the storm, many residents had minimal food access, and some areas remained flooded. Conditions in Tampico, located near where the storm moved ashore, gradually returned to normal.
As a result of the storm's disastrous effects, the name Inez was retired, and it will never again be used for another Atlantic hurricane. It was replaced with Isabel for the 1970 season.
See also
- List of Florida hurricanes (1950–1974)
- List of Category 5 Atlantic hurricanes
- 1900 Galveston hurricane
- Hurricane David (1979) – most recent Category 5 hurricane to strike the Dominican Republic since Inez
- Hurricane Georges (1998)