1928 Okeechobee hurricane

The 1928 Okeechobee hurricane, also called the San Felipe hurricane, was a very bad tropical cyclone. Almost 4,100 people died in the northeast Caribbean, Puerto Rico and southeast Florida to North Carolina. This hurricane had wind close to Category 5 level when it hit Puerto Rico, when it was also a large hurricane. Over 2,500 people died in the United States, making the storm one of the deadliest natural disasters in U.S. history at that time. It struck Florida at Category 4 levels.

The hurricane hit the coast in Palm Beach County, Florida and damaged many buildings.  But then it went inland.  It caused the waters of Lake Okeechobee to rise ten feet.  The lake flooded 75 miles of Florida.  Because people were not prepared for the flood, many died.  Dead bodies lay in the hot Florida sun for days. Sometimes whole families were killed, so no one was left to identify the bodies.

After the hurricane, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built a large dike near Lake Okechobee to stop future floods.

1928 Okeechobee HurricaneFormed                         August 3Dissipated September 6Highest winds 160 mphAreas Affected Lesser Antilles  Puerto Rico 
Hispaniola Bahamas Florida 

Georgia the Carolinas.   

Related pages
Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale, showing the difference between different categories of hurricanes
Hurricane Maria

References

Okeecho
Category:1920s in Florida
Category:20th century in Puerto Rico
Category:20th century in North Carolina
Category:Hurricanes in Florida
Category:Natural disasters in the United States
Category:Category 5 Atlantic hurricanes
Category:Deadly storms