Jamaica’s hurricane history: A TIMELINE

ANNUALLY, THE hurricane season lasts from June to November. Jamaica, along with several other Caribbean islands and mainland territories, falls into what is commonly understood to be the Atlantic hurricane belt, meaning that these countries often experience the effects of storm systems during the hurricane season.

Some of the storms experienced by Jamaica have formed unforgettable parts of the nation’s history because of the impact they had on lives, land and infrastructure. diGJamaica has compiled a timeline of the storms that have impacted Jamaica since the practice of naming hurricanes, which started in early 1950s – all in our quest to help you ‘diG’ deeper into Jamaica’s history of hurricanes.

1950 – Hurricane Jig

• Heavy rains

• Flooding in central and western parishes

• All crops damaged, especially banana

1951 – Hurricane Charlie

• 154 deaths; 2,000 injuries

• More than 9,000 left homeless

• Banana, coconut, citrus crops destroyed

• 80 per cent of Morant Bay destroyed

1954 – Hurricane Hazel

• 32 deaths

• Heavy rains, flooding

• Coconut crops destroyed

1955 Hurricane Janet

• Heavy rains for 10 days

• Flooding

1958 – Tropical Storm Gerda • North coast flooding 1963 – Hurricane Flora

• 11 deaths

• $12 million worth of damage

• Heaviest rains for the century and in Jamaica’s recorded history up to that point; flooding

• Damage to crops, livestock and properties

1964 – Hurricane Cleo

• No major damage in Jamaica

1967 – Hurricane Beulah

• No major damage in Jamaica

1973 – Tropical Storm Gilda

• Heavy rains, severe flooding

• Six deaths by drowning

1974 – Hurricane Carmen

• Heavy rains on the south coast

• Banana crops damaged

1978 – Hurricane David • Heavy rains and flooding

1980 – Hurricane Allen

• Eight deaths

• 4,000-5,000 left homeless

• J$200 million worth of damage

• Banana crops destroyed 1988 – Hurricane Gilbert

• 45 deaths

• Hundreds homeless

• US$800 million (J$2.52 billion) in damages

• Banana crop destroyed

• Tourism and mining industries disrupted

• Flooding

• Food shortage

• Infrastructure damage

2004 – Hurricane Charley

• One death

• $7-million damage to roads

2004 – Hurricane Ivan

• 17 deaths

• More than 18,000 left homeless

2005 – Hurricane Dennis

• Heavy rains, flooding

• Billions of dollars in damages

2005 – Hurricane Emily

• Heavy rains, flooding

• Billions of dollars in damages

FILE Extensive damage was done to the equipment of the Jamaica Public Service Company during the two-day battering of the island by Hurricane Gilbert on Monday, September 12, 1988, and Tuesday, September 13, 1988. Several utility poles were uprooted and their wires and equipment left dangling on the roads. Here is one such scene. Electricity was cut before the storm struck.