Effects of Hurricane Georges in Haiti
| Category 1 hurricane (SSHWS/NWS) | |
|
Hurricane Georges making landfall in the Dominican Republic as a Category 3 hurricane | |
| Winds |
1-minute sustained: 80 mph (130 km/h) |
|---|---|
| Fatalities | At least 400 total |
| Damage | $200 million (1998 USD) |
| Areas affected | Haiti |
| Part of the 1998 Atlantic hurricane season | |
The effects of Hurricane Georges in Haiti included $200 million in damages and at least 400 fatalities.
Background
Hurricane Georges began as a tropical wave that moved off the coast of Africa during mid-September 1998. Tracking westward, the wave spawned an area of low pressure two days later, which quickly strengthened into a tropical depression. On September 16, the depression was upgraded to Tropical Storm Georges, and to Hurricane Georges the next day. The storm reached its peak intensity on September 20 with winds of 155 mph (250 km/h), just below Category 5 status on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale.[1]
Over the following five days, the hurricane tracked through the Greater Antilles, causing over 600 fatalities, mainly in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. By September 25, Georges entered the Gulf of Mexico as a Category 2 hurricane. The storm made landfall three days later near Biloxi, Mississippi with winds of 105 mph (165 km/h). Upon landfall, the hurricane's forward motion slowed to an eastward drift. Georges dissipated on October 1 near the Atlantic coast of Florida.[1]
Impact
Upon reaching Haiti, Georges was a weakened hurricane, but it still brought heavy rainfall across the entire country. The capital city of Port-au-Prince was largely unharmed, with the exception of flooding in low-lying coastal areas, damaging the main commercial port.[2] The rest of the country, however, experienced a significant number of mudslides due to deforestation along the mountains.[3] These mudslides destroyed or severely damaged many houses, leaving 167,332 homeless.[1] Damage was greatest along the northern coastline from Cap-Haïtien to Gonaïves due to the flooding and mudslides.[4] On the southern coast, the head of a U.S.-based medical team, stranded for several days by flooding in the remote town of Belle Anse, anticipated a rise in malnutrition, disease, homelessness and poverty.[5][6] Lack of electricity led to a total disruption of Haiti's water supply system, causing a decrease in sanitary conditions across the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.[7] In all, at least 400 people died in Haiti.[8]
Like in the Dominican Republic, the agricultural sector suffered extreme damage. After a severe drought in 1997, Georges's severe flooding stopped any chances of recovering quickly. Most of the country's significant crop land, including Artibonite Valley, suffered total losses. Up to 80% of banana plantations were lost, while vegetable, roots, tubers, and other food crops were ruined. In addition, thousands of small farm animals were either killed or lost.[9] Total agricultural losses amounted to $179 million (1998 USD, $250 million 2009 USD).[10]
Aftermath
The country requested food assistance in the aftermath of the hurricane to alleviate the serious losses.[9]
See also
- Hurricane Georges
- Effects of Hurricane Georges in the Dominican Republic
- 1998 Atlantic hurricane season
References
External links
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