1944 жылғы Куба-Флорида дауілі

Category 4 Atlantic hurricane in 1944

The 1944 Cuba–Florida hurricane (also known as the 1944 San Lucas hurricane and the Sanibel Island Hurricane of 1944)|group="nb" Although property damage was considerable in the Florida Keys and throughout the Florida coasts, the bulk of the storm's damage toll arose from significant losses of crops in the state's citrus producing regions, curtailing record harvests. Eighteen people were killed in the state, half from the loss of a ship in Tampa Bay. The storm continued to weaken as it passed over Florida and the Southeastern United States, producing heavy rains throughout the U. S. East Coast and gusty winds that led to widespread power outages. On October 20, the storm transitioned into an extratropical cyclone and tracked northeastwards along the U. S. East Coast. The system was last distinguishable east of Greenland four days later.

The hurricane caused $63 million in damages—largely to crops—in Florida. Eighteen deaths occurred in the state, including nine seamen who drowned when a tugboat sank off Bradenton; another 24 people were hospitalized for storm related injuries elsewhere. In its monthly Climatological Data publication, the Weather Bureau said that "systematic evacuation of all dangerously exposed beaches doubtless saved many lives". On October 15, showers streaming north from the hurricane produced heavy rain and gusts over Florida. An instruction flight out of Naval Air Station Lake City crashed shortly after takeoff 5.5 mile (9 km) east of the base, weather being cited as a likely cause. All three crewmembers were killed. In advance of the eventual landfall, three tornadoes in the hurricane's rainbands struck the state on the afternoon of October 18, causing slight damage. They touched down in the cities of Arcadia and Wauchula as well as southern Polk County. The Wauchula tornado displaced a farmhouse from its foundation, unroofed a gas station, and uprooted 75 trees. Waterspouts were also observed before the hurricane's arrival. On the Dry Tortugas, an anemometer indicated winds of for two consecutive hours before it succumbed. Key West avoided the brunt of the storm as the eye passed 40 mile (64 km) to the west. No casualties were reported there, though infrastructure damage was considerable. Farther offshore, a crew of 21 people was forced to abandon a lightship near the northwest entrance to the harbor at Key West while the storm passed. The majority of the $10–$13 million toll inflicted to property occurred along the coast, particularly from storm surge. The surge accumulated upstream in the Caloosahatchee River, flooding roads with of water. There, nearly 50 beach houses collapsed, contributing to a $500,000 damage toll. As much as 150 feet (46 m) of beach eroded because of the elevated seas at Fernandina Beach. Winds of tore awnings and broke windows in downtown Jacksonville, and brought down the antenna of radio station WJCT. Off Cape Canaveral, two shrimp boats were stranded in the storm and eventually beached along Cocoa. Rough seas also washed out a segment of the bridge connecting Cocoa with Merritt Island. Likewise, a 100 feet (30 m) section of the bridge between Titusville and the coast collapsed into the river below. Rough surf also occurred in Florida's interior lakes, waves in Lake Tohopekaliga breaching several hundred feet of seawall near Kissimmee. Damage was widespread across the western coast of the Florida peninsula, though its severity varied greatly. The Sarasota and Venice areas where the hurricane made landfall were particularly hard hit. Communication service in Fort Myers suffered greatly, limiting connectivity to proximate locales. Sustained winds at Page Field were clocked at with gusts exceeding
Trees were downed in St. Petersburg by gusts to Structural damage was minor overall, with damage evaluated at $25,000–$50,000. Damage from citrus losses and property damage in the rest of Pinellas County was valued at $1,000,000. Offshore, nine people were killed, and three crew members survived, after their ship sank at the mouth of Tampa Bay; Tampa suffered similarly to St. Petersburg, and experienced a lull in the winds as the center of the hurricane passed overhead. Tampa firefighters also responded to another eight fires during the hurricane, though these caused minor damage. Strong winds uprooted trees in the Davis Islands and Gulfport along the coast of the Tampa Bay area. Similarly, downed trees were characteristic of the damage in Clearwater. Roofs of older buildings were torn by the strong winds, though damage overall was slight. Although storm damage in Miami was relatively minor, two people were killed—one from a downed electric line and another from a traffic collision—in the greater metropolitan area. Early green bean and tomato crops in neighboring Palm Beach County were ruined by the hurricane. Between of snap bean crops were lost throughout the Everglades, battered by excessive rainfall of , but growers were optimistic the rains would later lead to improved harvests. A 300 feet (91 m) stretch of seawall was destroyed in El Cid Historic District along with an adjacent dock; this was the only structural damage in West Palm Beach. Gale force winds affected the entire Florida peninsula, the westward extent of the strong winds reaching Tallahassee. Wind field analyses later demonstrated that winds of at least spanned an area with a diameter of 300 mile (483 km). The strongest winds were focused within a 30 mile (48 km) wide region east of the storm's center and penetrated far inland, with sustained winds of and a gust of reported in Orlando. These winds occurred over the state's core citrus producing areas—De Soto, Hardee, Lake, Orange, Polk, and Sarasota counties—resulting in the loss of approximately 25 million boxes of fruit. As late as a week before the hurricane's arrival, 1944 had been expected to be the best year for Florida citrus production in history. Citrus losses extended beyond the core regions, with significant losses in Seminole and Osceola counties. Of Florida's interior cities, Orlando saw the most severe damage, amounting to several million dollars. The hurricane disrupted most communications in Orlando and surrounding communities outside of downtown; only two cables linking the city with Jacksonville remained in service. Elsewhere in the Florida interior, two hangars at Alachua Army Air Field near Gainesville collapsed. Some trees in Gainesville were toppled onto houses. Severe property damage was noted in Bartow, and roofs were torn from a school and several homes in Williston and Groveland. Damage was limited primarily to crops in the Palatka and Crescent City areas, with only minor losses sustained otherwise.

Total losses in the state of Georgia were estimated at between $250,000–$500,000. Most of the damage occurred before the arrival of the storm's center of circulation. Downed trees blocked streets and highways in several communities. Communication services were scant in some areas as telecommunication and power lines were severed by the storm. Strong winds also damaged the shingles of some buildings to varying degrees. The shipyard in Brunswick, Georgia, was hit particularly hard, several of its buildings and four cranes being damaged. Eastern extents of the city were also inundated by storm surge as far as 1 mile (2 km) inland, prompting the evacuation of affected homes. The high wind swept tides caused coastal inundation throughout the Southeastern U. S. coast, destroying many fishing boats at the Port of Savannah. The highest tides in Georgia occurred in Fort Pulaski, where the sea rose 5.9 feet (2 m) above mean sea level. Water damage on the island of St. Simons forced the evacuation of 1,200 people. Winds reaching brought down power and communication lines across the Carolinas, leaving much of Charleston, South Carolina, without electricity. Trees and signage were downed in Florence, located 70 mile (113 km) from the coast. Several railroad coaches traversing the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad just south of Florence were damaged. In northwestern parts of the state, unpicked cotton crops perished. Winds of damaged corn and lespedeza in North Carolina, constituting most of the $200,000 damage toll wrought by the storm there. The storm's effects tapered as precipitation and high seas spread north along the U. S. East Coast. Widespread rains were reported throughout Virginia. Some flooding occurred around Staunton, blocking some minor roads. High winds downed as many as 30 percent of unharvested apples. Greater Norfolk endured winds and a 0.61 m storm surge. In Newport News, the elevated seas rose over the seawall, inundating low lying areas. A Weather Bureau meteorologist characterized the storm's effects in Maryland as "an old fashioned nor'easter". Minor telecommunication disruptions were reported in Maryland by the Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Company. Debris buildup in Baltimore blocked some sewage pipes. Rough surf topped bulkheads damaged by the 1944 Great Atlantic hurricane along the coast of North Jersey, flooding oceanside streets. Similar coastal flooding occurred along the barrier island, Long Beach Island, farther south. Strong winds blew out some windows in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, region. Gusts of grounded airplane traffic and yachts in New England. An empty coal barge was grounded upon Thompson Island, carried by wind driven seas. One driver in Somersworth, New Hampshire, was killed after losing control of their car on a slick roadway—three passengers were injured. Downed wires in Newton and Quincy, Massachusetts, cut power to roughly 250 homes. The United States initiated relief operations in Cuba, focusing on augmenting food supplies. A Pan American Clipper with American government officials onboard was dispatched to survey isolated areas of Cuba, including Pinar del Río. President of Cuba Ramón Grau visited hospitals after the storm's passage to aid relief efforts. The city of Orlando coordinated with the Army Air Forces Tactical Center in debris cleanup operations. The Texas Agriculture Commissioner, James E. McDonald, asked Texas citrus growers to suspend shipments to allow Florida citrus growers to recover, echoing a similar gesture from Florida citrus growers following a hurricane in 1933. Officials from the OPA and WFA convened in Lakeland, Florida, on October 27 to discuss the calls to increase ceiling prices for citrus; Florida citrus growers contended that the U. S. Department of Agriculture's monthly crop report for October did not accurately reflect the losses caused by the hurricane and sent a delegation to raise the matter in Washington, D. C. in November. A temporary increase in ceiling prices on citrus fruits was eventually implemented for the state of Florida. The WPB, operating jointly with the Red Cross, made 5000000 feet (1524000 m) of lumber and 5,000 shingle squares available for repairs and in the Tampa area. The Federal Housing Administration allowed mortgage loans of $5,400 for residents whose homes were destroyed by the hurricane, based on the agency's assessment that "property damage was limited to roofs and broken glass" in the state.