In September 2017, Hola Cuba’s phone continued ringing. Hurricane Irma surprised many people who decided to go to Cuba at this time of year and didn’t know what to do. Well, we say that from August to October, the risk of a hurricane in this part of the world is really big and if not necessary we are not travelling to the Caribbean at that moment.
Europe is a pretty safe place when we talk about natural disasters. We are familiar with summer storms, local floods and winter snowfalls. However, we have no experience with cyclones, tropical storms and finally, hurricanes. On Internet, we read dozens of comments indicating that they are short and intense during the rainy season and that the sun will rise again. You can go, of course, you can, especially the expired plane tickets and cheap hotel deals that appear during these dates. Is it a good idea to forget about the rainy season in Cuba?
Summer in the Caribbean is beautiful: the Island is lush green, temperatures are up to 40 ° C and the water of the ocean looks like a Jacuzzi. There are definitely fewer tourists and the prices may be lower, these are undoubted advantages. Later, at the same time, August arrives, which brings with it more frequent storms and rains, until finally comes the arrival of the hurricanes.
Whether or not, to travel to Cuba on this date is, of course, an individual decision. However, it is worth taking it consciously and we better know what the weather is about in the unknown part of the world and don’t judge it based on our experience.
These are the biggest hurricanes in recent years, showing when it is better not to travel to Cuba.
September 16-30, 2017 – Hurricane Maria
This was a category 5 storm. It reached the Dominican Republic as a Category 5 hurricane and it hit Puerto Rico as a Category 4.
It inflicted $ 90 billion dollars in damages. Official casualties after the storm in Puerto Rico were 64, but CNN and other informative organizations indicate that there could be more than 1,000 deaths associated with the storm on the island. The government of Puerto Rico increased the number of people who died from 64 to 2975, after August 2018. Investigators of George Washington University published a report of the hurricane accidents.
Previously, a scientific report published in the New England Journal of Medicine, estimated that 4,645 people died during the storm and its implications. The authors of this article called the 64 official victims of Puerto Rico “a fundamental understatement.” However, the number of deaths cited in the article was estimated on the basis of a limited study that included 3,299 homes. The survey showed that the number of people who died as a result of the storm could range from 793 to 8,498.
In addition, 31 people died in Dominica. Deaths were also reported in Saint Thomas, Dominican Republic and Haiti.
The massive damage to the ageing power grid resulted in a long period of inactivity (Blackout), which lasted many months.
August 30 to September 12, 2017 – Hurricane Irma
This was a Category 5 storm. Irma had seven attacks, including four as a Category 5 hurricane in the northern islands of the Caribbean. It hit the Florida Keys like a Category 4 storm and beyond, in southwest Florida, it entered as a Category 3 storm.
Irma caused $ 50 billion dollars of loss in damages. It directly caused at least 47 deaths in the Caribbean and the southeastern part of the United States. About six million Floridians were evacuated from the Storm.
August 17 to September 1, 2017 – Hurricane Harvey
This was a Category 4 storm. Arrived near Corpus Christi as a Category 4 hurricane and circulated for 4 days along the Texas coast, causing devastating flooding. Its remains, later on, destroyed people’s possessions in southwestern Louisiana.
It also set a record for the highest amount of precipitation from a single storm in the United States, with 51 inches of rainfall recorded in several areas of Texas. About 27 thousand million litres of water fell in Texas and Louisiana in six days.
Harvey cost $ 125 billion dollars of loss in damages. At least 68 people died directly related to the storm, recorded in Texas, which is the largest number of victims of a hurricane for this state since 1919.
October 22-29, 2012 – Hurricane Sandy
This was a Category 3 storm. It hit Cuba as a category 2. It arrived in New Jersey like a post-tropical cyclone.
The path included the coasts of Haiti, Jamaica, Cuba, New Jersey, and New York.
This hurricane caused $ 65 billion dollars of loss in damages. It was an unusually large storm with a measured diameter of 870 nautical miles.
There were at least 147 deaths, including 72 in the United States, 54 in Haiti, 11 in Cuba, 3 in the Dominican Republic, 2 in the Bahamas, 1 in Canada, 1 in Jamaica, 1 in Puerto Rico and 2 in the sea.
August 21 to September 1, 2012 – Hurricane Isaac
This was a Category 1 storm. The path of the hurricane included Haiti, Cuba, southern Mississippi and southeastern Louisiana.
Isaac caused damages with an estimated value of $ 2.8 billion. The number of deaths attributed straight to Isaac was 34 people of which 5 were from the US, 24 from Haiti and 5 from the Dominican Republic.
August 20-29, 2011 – Hurricane Irene
This was a Category 3 storm. It landed in North Carolina as a Category 1 storm.
The damages amounted to $ 13.5 billion dollars of loss. The deaths attributed directly to Irene were 49 people: 41 in the United States, 5 in the Dominican Republic and 3 in Haiti.
October 29 to November 7, 2010 – Hurricane Tomas
This was a Category 2 storm. It struck St. Lucia as a Category 1. The affected areas included: Saint Lucia, Barbados, Saint Vincent, The Grenadines, Curaçao and Haiti. Losses amounted to approximately 336 million dollars. The amount of death was 44 in the lesser and Greater Antilles.
September 1-14, 2008 – Hurricane Ike
This was a Category 4 storm. The path included the Turks and Caicos Islands, Cuba, Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas.
Ike cost people 30 billion dollars of loss. The estimated number of fatalities was 103 in Hispaniola, Cuba and the Gulf of the United States.
October 15-25, 2005 – Hurricane Wilma
This was a Category 3 storm. On land, it reached Cozumel, Mexico as a Category 4; later on, with less force, hit nearby Marco Island, Florida as a category 3. The reported damage amounted to $ 19 billion dollars. The number of deaths attributed directly to Wilma was 23: 5 in the US, 12 in Haiti, 4 in Mexico, 1 in Jamaica and 1 in the Bahamas.
September 20-24, 2005 – Hurricane Rita
This was a Category 5 storm. The landings occurred in Louisiana and Texas as Category 3.
The damages amounted to $ 18.5 billion dollars of loss. The number of deaths directly attributed to Rita was 7.
August 25-29, 2005 – Hurricane Katrina
This was a Category 3 storm. It hit Florida as Category 1. It arrived at Grand Isle (Louisiana) as category 3.
The path included Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. Katrina caused damages estimated at $ 125 billion dollars of loss. The number of death in the United States was 1833 people.
September 2-24, 2004 – Hurricane Ivan
This was a Category 5 storm. It hit Grenada (Mississippi) as Category 4. The affected areas included Grenada, Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Tobago and Barbados.
Ivan caused damages estimated at $ 20.5 billion dollars of loss. The number of deaths attributed directly to Ivan was 92: 25 in the US, 39 in Grenada, 17 in Jamaica, 4 in the Dominican Republic, 3 in Venezuela, 2 in the Cayman Islands, 1 in Tobago and 1 in Barbados.
August 25 to September 8, 2004 – Hurricane Frances
This was a Category 2 storm. The affected areas were Florida, Leeward Islands, Virgin Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands and Bahamas.
The damage was estimated at $ 9.8 billion dollars of loss. The number of deaths attributed directly to the French was 7: 6 in the US and 1 in the Bahamas.
August 9-15, 2004 – Hurricane Charley
This was a Category 4 storm. It arrived in Cuba as category 3. It came to Florida as a category 4. The path included the Grand Cayman Islands, Cuba, Florida and Carolina. The hurricane left behind 16 thousand million dollars of loss estimated in damages. The number of deaths directly attributed to Charley was 15:10 in the US, 4 in Cuba and 1 in Jamaica.
August 16-28, 1992 – Hurricane Andrew
This was a Category 5 storm (moved in 2002). It was originally considered a category 4.
The path included the northwestern Bahamas, the southern peninsula of Florida, and south-central Louisiana.
Andrew caused 27 billion dollars of loss in damages. The number of deaths attributed directly to Andrew was 26: 23 in the US and 3 in the Bahamas.
September 10-22, 1989 – Hurricane Hugo
This was a Category 5 storm. The landing took place on both Windward Islands and later on South Carolina as category 4. The path included the Caribbean Islands (Puerto Rico), south and North Carolina.
Hugo made damages estimated at 9 billion dollars of loss. The number of deaths directly attributed to Hugo was 50: 21 in the United States, 5 in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands of the United States and 24 more in the Caribbean.