Ураган Дэвид: Разрушительный циклон 1979 года.

Category 5 Atlantic hurricane in 1979

Hurricane David was a devastating Atlantic hurricane which caused massive loss of life in the Dominican Republic in August 1979, and was the most intense hurricane to make landfall in the country in recorded history. A long lived Cape Verde hurricane, David was the fourth named storm, second hurricane, and first major hurricane of the 1979 Atlantic hurricane season. David formed on August 25, in the eastern tropical Atlantic Ocean near Cape Verde off the coast of West Africa. Two days later, the storm reached hurricane strength, then underwent rapid intensification, strengthening into a Category 5 hurricane and reaching peak sustained winds of on August 28. By the time the system dissipated on September 8, it had traversed the Leeward Islands, Greater Antilles, The Bahamas, the East Coast of the United States, and Atlantic Canada. David was the first hurricane to affect the Lesser Antilles since Hurricane Inez in 1966. With winds of , David was one of only 2 storms of Category 5 intensity to make landfall on the Dominican Republic in the 20th century, the other also being Inez, and the deadliest since the 1930 San Zenón hurricane, killing over 2,000 people in its path. In addition, David was the deadliest tropical cyclone to hit the island of Dominica since the 1834 Padre Ruíz hurricane, which killed over 200 people.

David produced widespread damage across the United States amounting to $320 million. Prior to the hurricane's arrival, 400,000 people evacuated from coastal areas. In total, David directly killed five in the United States, and was responsible for ten indirect deaths. The hurricane spawned over 10 tornadoes while passing over the state, though none caused deaths or injuries. Total damages in Florida amounted to $95 million. Because the hurricane remained near the coastline, David failed to cause extreme damage in Florida. At the height of the storm, up to 50,000 people in Broward and Miami Dade County (then Dade County) lost electricity due to downed and damaged power lines. Storm surge and abnormally high tides caused significant erosion damage to State Road A1A in the vicinity of Sunrise Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale. Four fatalities occurred in Broward County, two directly and two indirectly. In Palm Beach County, sustained winds peaked at at the Palm Beach International Airport and wind gusts reached up to in Jupiter. Winds shattered windows in stores near the coast and caused some property damage, including blowing the frame off the Palm Beach Jai alai fronton in Mangonia Park and downing the 186 ft (57 m) WJNO AM radio tower in West Palm Beach into the Intracoastal Waterway. Abnormally high tides damaged docks and piers, Two tornadoes in Brevard County caused damage. The first twister severely impacted or destroyed about 50 mobile homes and a condominium complex in Melbourne Beach and a shopping center in Palm Bay after crossing the Indian River. The shopping center alone sustained about $1.5 million in damage. Another tornado was spawned in Cocoa, damaging a few roofs.

Hurricane David made landfall in Georgia as a quickly weakening minimal hurricane, bringing a storm surge and heavy surf. Its inner core remained away from major cities, though Savannah recorded sustained winds of and wind gusts of high winds downed numerous power lines, leaving approximately 70,000 electrical customers without power, Many trees were downed along downtown streets. In Darien, the storm severely damaged a nursing home, flooded some streets, and downed tree limbs. Offshore, strong seas disrupted a portion of the coastal reef by moving a sunken ship 300 feet (91 m). Tides produced by the storm also inundated the Jekyll Island Causeway and the F. J. Torras Causeway, which links Brunswick to St. Simons Island. Overall, David was responsible for approximately $5 million in damage in Georgia, much of it in Chatham County, while two people drowned at Jekyll Island due to heavy surf.

Upon entering South Carolina, David retained winds of up to hurricane force, though the highest recorded was sustained in Charleston and a wind gust in Hilton Head Island. In addition, the hurricane spawned numerous tornadoes while moving through the Mid Atlantic and New England, with associated prominent wind damage occurring even in inland communities. In Virginia eight tornadoes formed across the southeastern portion of the state, of which six were F2's or greater on the Fujita scale, including two rated F3 in Fairfax County and Newport News. The tornadoes caused 1 death, 19 injuries, damaged 270 homes, and destroyed 3 homes, amounting to $6 million in damage. In Maryland, David's outer bands formed seven tornadoes, including an F2 in Kingsville. In New Castle County, Delaware, an F2 tornado damaged numerous homes and injured five.

Immediately after the storm, lack of power prevented communications and the outside world had little knowledge of the extent of the damage in Dominica. A citizen named Fred White ended that by using a battery operated ham radio to contact the world. The looting was practiced in supermarkets, seaports, and homes; what was not destroyed by the hurricanes was stolen in the weeks after the storm.

Despite the casualties and damages attributed to David, the storm's effects were not as bad as in other countries. In particular, South Florida escaped relatively lightly. Because of this, then NHC Director Neil Frank was accused of overly stirring up panic before the arrival of David. Two local psychiatrists even claimed that the experience would make residents more complacent towards future storms. However, the NHC defended their methods, with Frank stating: "If we hadn't [raised public alarm] and our predictions had been more accurate, the consequences would have been disastrous."

The name David was retired following this storm because of its devastation and high death toll; it will never be used again to name a tropical system in the North Atlantic. It was replaced with Danny for the 1985 season.