page_title: 1916 Virgin Islands hurricane
section_title: Other islands
hierarchical_section_title: 1916 Virgin Islands hurricane / Impact / Virgin Islands / Other islands
caption_attribution_description: English: Ruins photographed in St. Croix following a hurricane that struck the Virgin Islands in October 1916.
context_page_description: The 1916 Virgin Islands hurricane was a strong tropical cyclone that inflicted extensive damage across the Virgin Islands in October 1916. It was the region's most destructive storm since at least the 1867 San Narciso hurricane; Consul General Christopher Payne and archaeologist Theodoor de Booy considered the 1916 storm as the archipelago's most damaging. Its peak intensity was equivalent to a Category 3 on the modern Saffir–Simpson scale. The storm began as a tropical depression southeast of Barbados on October 6, though little is known about the storm's origins or its developing stages; by the time its center was first located, the cyclone was already a hurricane and causing damage in the Virgin Islands. After forming, the storm moved northwest into the eastern Caribbean Sea and strengthened quickly. Rough seas were produced in the Windward Islands at Dominica and Saint Kitts as the storm passed nearby between October 7–8, damaging coastal villages.
  On the evening of October 9, the hurricane traversed the Virgin Islands with an intensity equivalent to a Category 2 on the modern Saffir–Simpson scale, passing directly over Saint Croix and producing gusts as high as 160 mph.
context_section_description: On Saint Croix, destruction befell entire towns and many factories. The town of Christiansted reported extensive damage. The schooner Vigilant capsized in the Christiansted reef; the ship was raised after sinking in the 1876 San Felipe hurricane only to suffer the same fate in 1916. In Frederiksted, saltwater was found on the upper-stories of residences, marking the height of the storm's waves. The roof of one home destroyed a stable and a few rooms after being blown away. Ninety percent of fences and most trees were knocked down. Heavy damage was also wrought in rural areas of Saint Croix, where telecommunications were disrupted. At several settlements, homes were badly damaged; only 4 homes of 23–25 at an estate in Annaly were destroyed. Anegada, Tortola, and Saint John of the Virgin Islands were devastated by the hurricane. At Tortola the hurricane's winds were strongest on the evening of October 9, holding at around 100 mph (160 km/h) for an hour. A report sent to The Sun, a New York-based newspaper, enumerated thirty-two fatalities in Tortola and eight in Saint John. However, a later report indicated five deaths combined in Saint Croix and Saint John from injuries caused by falling walls or trees. More than 50 people were injured in Saint John. Nearly all houses on the Saint John and Tortola were destroyed. Most boats at Tortola were destroyed, and some were dispersed by the storm's wind and waves on inland hills. Significant damage was dealt to the island's crops. Two thousand people were displaced by the storm in Tortola. Across three settlements in Saint John, all houses except one were razed. Swaths of trees were denuded in some areas of the island. Although the force of the storm was stronger on Saint John than on Saint Thomas, the island's lower population led to a lesser monetary toll to infrastructure; however, total casualties were higher in Saint John due to a lack of communications, leaving the island's residents unaware of the storm's approach.
caption: Damage in Saint Croix
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