Life In Cuba Research Articles

The West Indian Hurricane

THE reports of the hurricane that devastated a large part of Cuba on November 9 after destroying most of the banana crop in Jamaica and causing serious damage and loss of life in Little Cayman and Cayman Brac, show that this was the most destructive of the four storms that have caused much loss of life in the West Indies during the hurricane season that—since it is only once in about ten years that the season extends beyond October—should now be ending. The latest estimates give the loss of life in Cuba alone, due mainly to the sea wave on the south coast raised presumably by the southerly hurricane immediately to the east of the storm centre, as more than two thousand. The death roll was therefore much heavier than for the hurricanes which visited the neighbourhood of Galveston on August 13 last, and the Bahamas on September 5, and even for the very violent hurricane of September 26–27 in Puerto Rico. The most recent storm was abnormal in its track as well as in the late date of its occurrence. From information given in the Times of November 11, 12, and 14, it would appear that the centre was moving northwards or a little east of north when it passed to the west of Jamaica, and towards north-east when it crossed Cuba. Many storms pass the neighbourhood of Jamaica or the seas to the south of that island, but they are nearly always moving west or north-west, and, if they recurve to north-east, do so far away and in a much higher latitude. The hurricane season of 1932 will long be remembered, although when the total number of hurricanes in this season can be determined it will probably be found that, in the past fifty years, 1886 and 1887 with eleven storms in each case, still hold first place, while 1916, with a total of eight, remains outstanding in more recent years.