page_title: 1935 Jérémie hurricane
section_title: Cuba and Haiti
hierarchical_section_title: 1935 Jérémie hurricane / Impact / Cuba and Haiti
caption_attribution_description: English: Surface weather map of Hurricane 6 of the 1935 Atlantic hurricane season on October 22, 1935. The storm is centered between Jamaica and Cuba.
context_page_description: The 1935 Jérémie hurricane, commonly referred to as the 1935 Haiti hurricane, was a highly destructive and catastrophic tropical cyclone that impacted the Greater Antilles and Honduras in October 1935, killing well over 2,000 people. Developing on October 18 over the southwestern Caribbean Sea, the storm proceeded to strike eastern Jamaica and southeastern Cuba while overwhelming southwestern Haiti in a deluge of rain. The hurricane—a Category 1 at its peak—completed an unusual reversal of its path on October 23, heading southwestward toward Central America. Weakened by its interaction with Cuba, the storm soon regained strength and made its final landfall near Cabo Gracias a Dios in Honduras on October 25. The cyclone weakened upon moving inland and dissipated two days later.
  Flooding and landslides in Jamaica took their toll on property, agricultural interests, and infrastructure; fruit growers on the island sustained about $2.5 million in losses. Just off the coast, an unidentified vessel went down with her entire crew in the hostile conditions. Strong winds buffeted coastal sections of Cuba, notably in and around Santiago de Cuba.
context_section_description: In advance of the hurricane's landfall in Cuba, businesses were closed. Railways worked to secure non-essential trains, and residents of vulnerable coastal towns, including Caimanera, fled their homes in search of safer ground. The hurricane subjected eastern parts of the island to intense gales, measured at over 70 mph (110 km/h) at Santiago de Cuba before the anemometer failed. The northern coast of the island around Nipe Bay also endured strong winds as high as 58 mph (93 km/h). Winds of 60 mph (97 km/h) were recorded at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, though the effects there were generally light. Closer to the hurricane's center, in Santiago de Cuba, about 100 homes sustained complete structural failures. The prolonged nature of the storm hampered search and rescue efforts amid the rubble. Winds strew debris around the city, blocking its streets. A hospital and a power plant both suffered roof failure. Electricity in Santiago de Cuba was preemptively turned off as conditions worsened, contributing to regional power outages. 
  Significant flooding occurred after the Cauto River overflowed it banks, making driving impossible. The storm severed communications between towns in eastern Cuba after bringing down telephone and telegraph wires. Apart from seven structures ruined in the Guantánamo area, there was less destruction in many locations than initially feared. There were reports of three fatalities in Caimanera, and one person died in Santiago de Cuba. At least 29 individuals were treated for storm-related injuries. Damage assessments in the immediate aftermath of the storm placed monetary damages in Cuba at $500,000. In the aftermath, a public curfew was issued for Santiago de Cuba, forcing residents to remain indoors after 8 pm. To prevent looting, troops patrolled streets and vulnerable locations, such as banks. Supplies of bread and milk ran short following the hurricane.
  The greatest disaster occurred in southern Haiti, where as many as 2,000 people died, possibly more. The towns of Jacmel and Jérémie—both on the Tiburon Peninsula—were devastated by catastrophic freshwater flooding after days of torrential rains. The entire peninsula, already remote in its own right, was isolated for a time, ensuring only scant detail of the disaster reached the outside world. Information was initially relayed to the capital city of Port-au-Prince by a single aircraft.
  The hurricane crippled infrastructure, blocking roads throughout the area and destroying a hydroelectricity plant in Jacmel. The town was left without power and drinking water. In Jérémie, the flooding was so severe as to sweep away a large metal bridge. Hundreds of poorly constructed native houses were destroyed on the Tiburon Peninsula, leaving thousands of survivors without homes. Property damage in Haiti amounted to over $1 million. Meanwhile, thousands of livestock were killed and crops were completely destroyed, prompting fears of impending famine.
  Several days after the storm, the bodies of drowning victims had been recovered by the hundreds, and it was suspected many of the deceased had been washed into the sea. One preliminary estimate placed the number of dead in the Jérémie area alone at 1,500, suggesting the worst of the tragedy occurred there. Indeed, some modern sources have unofficially referred to the storm as Hurricane Jérémie. The Haitian government worked to bring emergency supplies and relief workers, at least partially by way of ship, to the flood-stricken region. As little was known about the extent of losses, officials rushed to restore communications with the disaster area.
caption: Map of the storm on October 22, while centered between Jamaica and Cuba
exif: {"Image SubfileType": "Single page of multi-page image", "Image ImageWidth": "1704", "Image ImageLength": "2200", "Image BitsPerSample": "[8, 8, 8]", "Image Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Image PhotometricInterpretation": "6", "Image FillOrder": "1", "Image Make": "Xerox", "Image Model": "Xerox WorkCentre 7655", "Image StripOffsets": "584", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image SamplesPerPixel": "3", "Image RowsPerStrip": "2200", "Image StripByteCounts": "818040", "Image XResolution": "200", "Image YResolution": "200", "Image PlanarConfiguration": "1", "Image PageName": "Page 1", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image PageNumber": "[0, 0]", "Image Software": "0.040.033.53050", "Image DateTime": "2012:04:23 17:09:00", "Image HostComputer": "IntelInside/linux", "Image TargetPrinter": "Xerox Printer", "Image JPEGProc": "1", "Image YCbCrCoefficients": "[10032775/33554432, 4924113/8388608, 2415919/16777216]", "Image YCbCrSubSampling": "[1, 1]", "Image YCbCrPositioning": "Centered", "Image ReferenceBlackWhite": "[0, 255, 128, 255, 128, 255]", "Image ExifOffset": "2644", "Image Padding": "[]", "EXIF Padding": "[]"}