1870 Matanzas hurricane

Impact

The Sociedad Meteorológica de Cuba (SometCuba) described the storm as one of the worst natural disasters in Cuba during the 19th century. Damage was estimated at over $12 million ($262 million in 2024). Further, other sources estimate that the combined damage total in Cuba for this storm and another later in October reached as much as $27 million ($589 million in 2024). Newspapers also reported that the two hurricanes damaged about one-fourth of Cuba's sugar crop, while "the fruit of the island is half destroyed." Throughout the country, the Matanzas hurricane destroyed loss of roughly one-third of sugar crops occurred – roughly 300,000 to 400,000 boxes. Weather Bureau meteorologist Edward B. Garriott stated in 1900 that "all crops in the territory between the meridians of Sagua and western Havana were destroyed." At least 800 people died in Cuba from this cyclone alone, making it one of the deadliest Atlantic hurricanes on record. However, The Times lists the death toll as high as 2,000. SometCuba argued in 2000 that the 800 death toll figure is likely more accurate, as it was taken from a publication released two weeks after the storm.

The hurricane produced high winds and intensive rainfall, which impacted Matanzas for more than 30 hours. Consequently, two rivers, the San Juan and the Yumuri, burst their banks, devastating the city. In the Pueblo Nuevo neighborhood, inundation from the rivers and Matanzas Bay "brought death to the door of every family within its limits.", according to an account from the steamer Moro Castle. These impacts destroyed approximately 410 homes, with SometCuba stating in 2000 that "this number probably refers only to the city [Matanzas]." Floodwaters swept away about 750 street lamps, 2 bridges, a railroad station, and a train, along with its passengers. Approximately 60 people became trapped at the San Luis railroad station, with floodwaters as high as 20 ft (6 m) forcing them to climb to the roof. A total of 13 vessels at Matanzas suffered damage, capsized, or were pushed ashore. However, the ships Geo Hunt, Liberty, Manlius, Mary Chase, and Nichols collectively rescued 19 people. Nearby, Cárdenas reported major damage to warehouses and wharves, as well as the destruction of several dwellings; many more lost their roofs or otherwise suffered damage. Seven deaths occurred in the city and another eleven in the Bay of Cárdenas, six after the bark M. E. capsized. Approximately 12,000 heads of cattle drowned in Cárdenas and Matanzas combined.

Significant impacts occurred in the eastern portions of the former Havana Province, an area now part of Mayabeque Province. In Playa del Rosario, the "la destrucción fue casi total." ("the destruction was almost total."), according to the bulletin of the SometCuba. Officials reported that the hurricane demolished the church, the townhall, and at least 115 homes in Nueva Paz. Whole streets disappeared. Additionally, the sugar industry experienced major impacts, with damaged mills and ruined sugarcane fields. Many dwellings collapsed in Papian, where the storm also damaged crops and trees and caused domestic birds to disappear. A meteorological observatory in the city of Havana recorded barometric pressures as low as 991 mbar (29.3 inHg). The storm unroofed some homes, ripped off some window blinds and shutters, and floodwaters damaged roads, leaving street cars unable to operate. At the harbor, several vessels drifted away, but little damage occurred other than to their rigs, although some vessels elsewhere along the coast were beached. Tree also toppled in the city.

In Güines, the hurricane destroyed a church, factories, and small homes and damaged many other buildings. Flooding ruined grain crops and drowned animals. More than 100 homes owned by impoverished people in Madruga collapsed. Another 50 residences were demolished in Bejucal, where the hurricane also uprooted many trees and ruined all local crops. In Alacranes, Bejucal, Güines, and Madruga, "the loss of lives in those villages, providentially, was small, considering the extent of the material damages experienced, and will not exceed twelve.", according to newspaper reports. Bainoa, Jaruco, and Tibarca reported destroyed homes, while several other towns noted damage to dwellings. In Colón, the hurricane damaged some residences and knocked down walls and telegraph lines. The suburbs flooded, leaving some streets impassable and forcing residents to evacuate.

The Florida Keys experienced hurricane-force winds, including a sustained wind speed of 81 mph (130 km/h) in Key West, while a barometer reportedly averaged 982 mbar (29.0 inHg) for a few days. Tides caused the lower parts of the island to become "one complete sheet of water", according to the Key West Dispatch, while a few bridges were swept away. This left communications with the north side of Key West only possible by boat. Significant damage to vegetation and trees also occurred. Numerous vessels wrecked throughout the Florida Keys and along or just offshore the mainland as far north as the Jupiter Inlet. In the Bahamas, Bimini reportedly began experiencing the storm as early as October 7. Abnormally high tides inundated South Bimini, leaving people "reduced to a state of starvation", according to The Nassau Guardian. The hurricane also capsized and dismasted a number of ships sailing in the vicinity of the Bahamas.

Aftermath

Storm survivors in Matanzas initially sought refuge in the Government's House and at Teatro Esteban. Looting and violence occurred in the city following the hurricane, leading to the arrest of twenty people, three of whom were executed by firing squad. Consequently, Juan Nepomuceno Burriel deployed more than 1,300 troops to the area to restore order. A survivor also recounted that some local merchants engaged in price gouging. Captain General Antonio Caballero y Fernández de Rodas ordered that the Spanish government expend $500,000 in aid for both storms combined. Captain General Rodas also sent 100 prisoners from Havana to Matanzas to clean streets and 80 firefighters to assist with rebuilding homes in the Pueblo Nuevo neighborhood. Additionally, six physicians were dispatched to the city in response to outbreaks of sicknesses and diseases, especially cholera and yellow fever. By October 20, authorities in Matanzas were providing assistance to approximately 3,000 homeless individuals. Many Cubans and Spaniards donated to relief funds, dispensed by authorities and churches, to not only Matanzas but also to localities such as Güines, Madruga, and Nueva Paz.

Father Benito Viñes, a Spanish Jesuit priest, became the director of the meteorological observatory at the Colegio de Belén in Havana, Cuba, in 1870. Following two storms that devastated the country in October of that year, Viñes began studying those hurricanes and previous systems – including their circulations, organization, and movements – becoming a pioneer in tropical cyclone forecasting. Later, Viñes issued possibly the first-ever hurricane warning in 1875 and founded a network of weather stations across the Caribbean Sea in 1876 to improve his forecasts.