Hurricane Gilbert
During the year of 1988, several events
changed the lives of hundreds of people.
The summer Olympics, a
presidential election, and Hurricane Gilbert which tore
through Jamaica, part
of Mexico and the United States. Hurricane Gilbert
occurred between September
10th and the 17th. Hurricane Gilbert was one of the
most wretched storms of
the century. What had started out as a tropical storm,
grew into a terrible
nightmare for those that lived in Jamaica. "The onset
of the storm was first
seen by satellite on September 3rd 1988. This was
categorized as a tropical
storm; a wrinkle in the uniformly eastern flow"
(Sheets 1). Gilbert was not
only infamous for its' category rating, but for the
barometric pressure which
was the lowest recorded for an Atlantic storm. Causes
that contributed to the
strength of Hurricane Gilbert include: atmospheric
conditions, the category
rating, and the proximity of its' eye. The effects of
the hurricane consisted
of property damage, economic losses, casualties and some
solutions such as
insurance and funds. Atmospheric conditions were some of the
factors that
contributed to Hurricane Gilbert's intensity. Hurricane Gilbert had
extremely
powerful winds that reached 160 knots which is about 175 mph and gusts
up to
121 mph (Stengel 18). At 10, 000 feet, Gilbert's counterclockwise
winds
reached up to 200 miles per hour, and at ground level the winds were
around 175
mph (Stengel 17). With winds that strong, almost nothing could
stop that storm.
When the winds began to spread out over a large area,
they stirred the Atlantic
waters and brought cool water underneath the
earth's surface; therefore, causing
a reduction in the amount of rapid
showers and thunderstorms (Sheets 1). Water
was another contributing factor
in the destruction caused by Hurricane Gilbert.
Hurricane Gilbert formed
in the same manner as most tropical storms do. "A
reason for Gilbert's
strength was the warm air placed itself in contact with the
water, the air
became wet and was then moistened by evaporation" (Sheets
2). Hurricane
conditions can only happen during warm months and over warm
waters. Storm
surges only occur when the storm meets the land. Gilbert's system
of low
pressure and high winds created a dome of high and intense water that
was
forced ashore. The water flow then caused storm surges which flooded many
low
lying areas, such as, beaches and coastlines. The waves of the waters
reached as
high as 30 feet. Floods were another cause of destruction.
Torrential rains
created sudden flooding as Hurricane Gilbert moved inland.
As Gilbert's winds
diminished, rainfall floods became Jamaica's greatest
threat. (Sheets 2). Air
mass was a third cause of destruction. During the
summer of 1988, both Jamaica
and the United States were hot and humid. A
drought in the Midwestern United
States caused forest fires and
harvesters had a hard season with the crops (Stengel
17). Since the air
was relatively warm around the Caribbean and the Northeastern
part of South
America, the humidity was significantly higher, and the sea
temperature was
somewhat warm consequently causing the formation of Hurricane
Gilbert.
Hurricane Gilbert's barometric pressure reading was a very important
factor
in it's destructive force. A barometric pressure reading is the measure
of
the storm's strength. Hurricane Gilbert received the lowest sea
level
pressure reading for a storm in the Western Hemisphere. Gilbert's
pressure
reading was recorded at 888 MB. or 26.23 inches. Since Gilbert had a
low
pressure reading, it was more likely to cause extreme damage. Hurricane
Gilbert
received a rating or category of five on the Saffir/Simpson scale,
which reads a
storms strength (Sheets 3). Category five is the highest level
that a hurricane
can be rated at. This denotes that Gilbert was proficient
enough to cause
"catastrophic damage" ("Hurricane Gilbert" 689).
Another
hurricane to reach level five was Camille, a hurricane that occurred
in 1969 (Trippet
18). When a hurricane such as Gilbert, that is rated a
Category five, wind and
water damage are extremely dynamic. Windows can be
blown out, trees up rooted
and mall buildings can be destroyed during a
hurricane ("Hurricane
Info" 3). Hurricanes that are large in size, will
usually have smaller
eyes, like Hurricane Gilbert. Hurricane Gilbert had an
eye less than 10 miles in
diameter, but the hurricane covered the entire
western half of the Caribbean as
well as southeastern parts of the Gulf of
Mexico (Sheets 3). The vortex of
Gilbert was 450 miles in width (Stengel
17). Even though the eye of Hurricane
Gilbert looked almost invisible, it
still was readily visible. As the eye of
Gilbert turned and moved in
different directions, the storm continued to spiral
around it. Thus, giving
the storm more power. ("Hurricane Info" 2).
The eye wall (the outside
part of the eye) is important because this is where
the most violent activity
takes place. When the cool air was pushed into the
eye, it sank and became
warm by compression. When the air became heated, Gilbert
was liable to hold
more moisture making the eye look clear and cloud free.
(Sheets 2). Extensive
property damage was a major result of Hurricane Gilbert.
Many homes,
buildings, and statues were destroyed. According to Time, "the
damage costs
were estimated to be at 10 billion dollars and the property loss
was
estimated to be about 500 million dollars. There were no previous records
in
Jamaica for a hurricane to have damage costs of that amount." Of the
two
and a half million people that lived in Jamaica, 500,000 were left
without
homes. About four fifth's of Jamaica's homes were damaged or
destroyed (Trippett
18). Jamaica wasn't the only country with damages.
"According to the
Insurance Information Institute, the United States had
estimated damage costs at
about $40 million. Damages include beach front
homes and boats on the Texas
coast line" (Schachrer 73). Hurricane Gilbert
also caught a 300 foot Cuban
freighter 5 miles out to sea; massive waves
smashed its structure and pushing it
ashore Cancu'n Beach (Stengel 17).
Hurricane Gilbert's strong winds greatly
damaged many resorts and hotels. The
Mexican resorts were hit the hardest. These
hotels had extensive water damage
after their windows were blown out (Schachrer
73). Around the city of
Cozumel, many resorts took months to restore the
buildings damaged by
hurricane Gilbert (Wilder 68). In Northern Jamaica, where a
large number of
the luxury resorts are located, Hurricane Gilbert blew calmer
winds rather
than the harsh winds where cities were located, such as
Kingston.
Luckily, the Cayman Islands were unhurt by Gilbert's force. The
coral reefs that
are located around that area were almost untouched by the
hurricane. Economic
losses were other results of Hurricane Gilbert's
destructive force. In 1988, the
banana, a prized crop, was expected to
produce a 50,000 ton harvest. This
harvest projected amount was up from the
10,000 tons of banana produced in 1984.
This was unable to happen because
most of Jamaica's farms were destroyed.
Tourism and bauxite kept
Jamaica's economy rising for the second straight year
in a row by 5% from
1987 (Stengel 17). This average was calculated the year
before the hurricane
struck. The banana crop was ruined along with poultry, a
staple of the
economy. Coconut, coffee, and the winter vegetable staples were
also
destroyed. A large productive crop the "ganja" or the marijuana
crop, was
destroyed as well (Trippett 18). Jamaica's sugar crop and the prized
bauxite
were virtually untouched by Gilbert's harsh winds. The death toll
of
Hurricane Gilbert was estimated to be at 260. ("Notable
Hurricanes"
302). These deaths include drowning, houses collapsing on
people, and those that
were caught in the storm and disappeared. More deaths
were caused by drowning
than anything else. For instance, four busses became
trapped under water in the
city of Monterrey. The busses were overturned by
the rising Santa Catarina
River. About 200 passengers escaped, although
six policemen died in the rescue
effort. (Stengel 18). Those that lived along
the Texas coastline were lucky
enough to not have been hit that badly by the
storm. These people were evacuated
out of the area at the last minute
(Schachrer 3). One solution for the problems
caused by Hurricane Gilbert was
insurance. (Schachrer 3). Some of the insurance
companies were thought to be
stuck with claims up to 3 billion dollars. Two
insurance companies ITT
Corporation Hartford Insurance Group and Continental
Corporation had
figured its estimates lower than what was expected. Hartford
Insurance
Group configured its estimates to be at 5 million dollars and
Continental
Corporation figured its estimates to be at 10 million dollars
(Schachrer
73). Some other insurance companies such as State Farm,
covered 16% of the
automobiles that were damaged. Most of the insurance
claims that they received
were only for minor damage. (Engardio 23) The
Mexican Insurance company had
placed their losses at only 120 million while
the damage for Jamaica was
estimated to be about 725 million dollars
(Schachrer 3). The need for aid after
Hurricane Gilbert struck was
extremely crucial. The Prime Minister of Jamaica,
Edward Seaga, had
appealed for international aid to help those that lost their
homes.
(Findlayson 18). Jamaica was fortunate that many other counties and
people
were willing to help. Canada, the United States, and Great Britain were
three
of the most giving countries. They did more than just help rebuild the
lives
of the people that lived in Jamaica, they had given them hope for a
new
future. Ontario charted a plane which brought supplies and also sent
$100,000
for aid relief. The External Relations Minister Landry, "pledged
7.6
million dollars plus another million which was to have been raised by
private
humanitarian organizations" (Finlayson 18). Several other Canadian
cities
brought clothing, food and money to those whose communities that were
destroyed
(Finlayson 18). Hurricane Gilbert has educated us about the causes
of hurricanes
and their destruction. We now know more information about how
hurricanes form,
increase in strength, and information about the eye of the
hurricane. We know
how much damage a category five hurricane will cause and
the effects that it
will on us. "Advances in computer models, satellite
pictures and aerial
measurements made Gilbert as closely monitored as a
shuttle launch" (Stengel
19).
Bibliography
Engrardio,
Peter. "The Dashed Dreams in Gilbert's Wake." Business
Week. 3 Oct.
1988:32. Findlayson, Ann. "Gilberts Havoc." Macleans. 26
Sept, 1988:18+.
Monastersty, R. "Focusing on Gilbert's extra eye."
Science News. 24 Sept.
1988: 196. Sheets, Robert C. "Anatomy of a
Hurricane." Hurricane
Familarzation. *Http://www.Jannws.state.ms.us/hrcn8TX.html*
(24 November
1997). Stengel, Richard. "It was no Breeze." Time. 26
Sept. 1988: 17+.
Trippett, Frank. "Jamaica: A decade lost in a day."
Time. 26 Sept.
1988:18+. Wilder, Rachel. "Damage Report from a Capricious
hurricane." U.S.
News and World Report. 3 Oct. 1988:68+. "The Monster
that Stalked the Gulf of
Mexico." U.S. News and World Report. 26 Sept.
1988: 9+. "Hurricane
Gilbert Batters Caribbean and Mexico." Facts on
File, 1989:689+. Some
Notable Hurricanes, Typhoons, and other Storms. World
Almanac and Book of
Facts, 1997:302. "Hurricane Info". Chc-Frequently
Asked Questions. [ND].
*http://www.ns.doe.cal/weather/hurricane/anwsers.html*
(24 November 1997).
"Hurricane Center." WashingtonPost.Com:Wather
Post. [ND].
*Http://www.weatherpost.com/hurricane/hurricane/ hurricane.html*
(21
November 1997).