1934 Central America hurricane

Impact

Central America and Southeastern Mexico

Between June 5–8, the center of the storm slowly tracked across British Honduras, southeastern Mexico, and Guatemala, with estimated peak sustained winds of 50 mph (80 km/h) along this path. These peak winds were measured in San Salvador, El Salvador. Lesser winds of 34 mph (55 km/h) were recorded in Belize City, British Honduras, where the storm initially made landfall. The slow-moving tropical cyclone produced torrential rainfall, resulting in widespread flooding that killed several thousand people. Estimates of the death toll in Central America vary; a list of the deadliest Atlantic tropical cyclones compiled by meteorologists Edward Rappaport and Jose Fernandez-Partagás in 1996 indicates that the hurricane may have caused over 3,000 fatalities, with a low-end estimate of 506. Between 1,000 and 3,000 casualties occurred across Honduras according to the U.S. Weather Bureau's report in the Monthly Weather Review. Relief workers in Honduras suggested approximately 2,000 fatalities occurred, while reporting by the Associated Press estimated at least 2,000 deaths near San Salvador with at least 2,500 deaths across Central America. Rainfall totals exceeded 25 in (640 mm) in some locations, increased by the effects of the mountains of the Trifinio region. In El Salvador, the storm contributed to the country's wettest year on record; this record stood until 2005. Rivers and lakes rose 45–60 ft (14–18 m) from the excessive rains. Banana and timber regions were heavily impacted by the storm.

The worst effects were felt in El Salvador and Honduras, with lesser impacts occurring in Guatemala. The heaviest damage in El Salvador occurred in the departments of Cabañas, Cuscatlán, La Paz, San Miguel, San Vicente, and Usulután. Fourteen rivers throughout the country overflowed their banks, with floods along the Lempa proving to be particularly devastating in northwestern El Salvador. Entire villages in El Salvador were destroyed, including those along the Pacific coast of El Salvador from La Libertad to La Unión. On a single estate along the coast, 100,000 head of cattle perished. All Pacific ports were flooded; few buildings withstood the storm in Acajutla, whose port was rendered inoperable. Verapaz was wrecked by floods rushing down the slopes of a nearby volcano. Power lines were brought down by the storm, with communications company All America Cables reporting an inability to connect with the country for 36 hours.

A report from San Salvador described "considerable damage" arising from flooding. Property damage totaled $2 million (1934 USD) and initial reports tallied 500 people rendered homeless near the city. Large buildings in the city were damaged and homes were washed away in the residential districts of Ilopango and Soyapango. The 30-foot (9 m) rise of Lake Ilopango destroyed buildings along its banks. Similarly, flooding along the banks of Lake Güija and the Coatepeque Caldera washed away settlements along their shores. A partially-completed stadium intended for the Central American and Caribbean Games in December 1934 was flooded, forcing to event to be delayed to March 1935. Substantial damage was also wrought to crops around San Salvador. Long segments of the international railroad of Central America were washed out, requiring three months of repairs; one train on its tracks derailed. Bridges were torn apart by the flooding, with washouts and landslides reported on railways and highways. Washouts occurred on nearly all roads throughout the country.

On June 8, martial law was declared in El Salvador, with an early curfew enforced in San Salvador. Electricity was restored in the city between June 9–10 while potable water was made available twice daily. Churches and other public buildings served as havens for those displaced by the storm in San Salvador. The government of El Salvador seized all gasoline in San Salvador to ensure adequate supplies for emergency transport. A decree from the president enacted price controls on food and suspended import duties on cereal for three months. Hundreds of men were pressed into service by the presidents to repair highways. The American Red Cross contributed $10,000 towards relief for victims of the hurricane in the country.

Rains from the hurricane affected Honduras for nine days. The storm disrupted transportation service in Honduras, completely isolating Tegucigalpa. Low-lying areas of the capital city were flooded as the Río Grande quickly rose due to heavy rainfall. The storm destroyed homes in San Juancito. Banana-growing regions along the Atlantic coast were also heavily impacted; plantations near Santiago were inundated in floodwaters, and large plantations owned by the United Fruit Company were destroyed. Rail service to these areas was suspended due to the flooding. The worst impacts in Honduras occurred in districts west and north of Tegucigalpa. On June 4, 25.2 in (64 cm) of rain fell in Ocotepeque, Honduras, triggering a landslide in a mountain valley above the city. The landslide acted as a natural dam along the southern slope of Cerro El Pital . Rainfall accumulated in a lake formed behind this temporary obstruction as the storm meandered over Central America. On June 7, the barrier burst, producing a debris flow that killed an estimated 468 people, representing over 10 percent of Ocotepeque's population. The town was largely destroyed, with all buildings succumbing to the flood except for the town church. Despite the magnitude of the disaster, contemporary reports were scarce due to the city's remote location and lack of communications. The destruction caused the city to be relocated 2.5 mi (4 km) north, where it was named Nueva Ocotepeque; the former city was later resettled slightly outside the floodplain of the Río Marchala and renamed as Antigua Ocotepeque.

The scene that meets the eyes of the survivors is most grievous. Everywhere are groups of persons, hungry, almost naked, seeking among the corpses still floating some loved one they will not see again. The church remains standing; all else is ruin, misery, mud...

— Report from an aerial surveyor describing the damage in Ocotepeque and published by the Associated Press

The Lempa and Ulúa rivers rose significantly due to the rainfall, with the latter rising 45 ft (14 m). Residents of Pimienta fled to a hill to avoid advancing floodwaters only to be drowned there as the Ulúa River continued to rise. Hundreds of cattle also drowned in Pimienta. More than 125 buildings were destroyed in the city with property losses estimated at $500,000. At Villanueva, floods were 6–15 ft (1.8–4.6 m) deep. Honduran president Tiburcio Carías Andino appealed to American officials in Panama for tents due to the displacement of Ocotepeque residents. A total of 65 tents were delivered by 11 bombers to Tegucigalpa on June 16. Serum for combating disease in storm-stricken Honduras and El Salvador was prepared and sent to San Salvador for distribution. The American Red Cross allocated $1,000 towards relief for those affected by the hurricane in Honduras. Six people were killed in the Mexican state of Chiapas following a plane crash, possibly due to strong winds from the storm. After completing its loop over Central America and reemerging into the Caribbean Sea, the storm made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane on Quintana Roo on June 9, producing hurricane-force winds inland over the Yucatán Peninsula. Due to the region's sparse population, there were no reports of significant damage. The storm damaged crops between Progreso and Payo Obispo. Ships were sunk in the harbor at Progreso.

Northern Mexico and Northern America

Along the U.S. Gulf Coast ahead of the storm, a semi-stationary weather front across southern Georgia and northern Florida drew moist air from the hurricane, causing heavy rains over central and northern Florida; the maximum rainfall total in the state was 20.9 in (530 mm) as recorded in St. Leo. The storm's trajectory on June 11 suggested a possible track towards the Mexican coast between Tampico and the Mexico–United States border. Swells ahead of the storm flooded roads in low-lying areas of Brazos Island and cut off the beach at Playa Miramar. Buildings were boarded up in the Rio Grande Valley in preparation for the hurricane. In Tampico, hospitals, police, and the Red Cross prepared for the storm. Bus fleets were readied for potential evacuations. High winds ultimately reached the coast of Tamaulipas on June 13 with little impact.

Northeast storm warnings were issued for the U.S. Gulf Coast between Pensacola, Florida, and Morgan City, Louisiana, on June 15. Hurricane warnings were later issued on June 16 for the Louisiana coast between Grand Isle and Vermilion Bay. These warnings were disseminated via radiophone, telegraph, and telephone. A cutter from the United States Coast Guard was sent to alert ships of the storm's approach at Mobile Bay. The hurricane moved ashore Louisiana at Category 2 intensity on June 16, passing over Jeanerette, west of Morgan City. Along the coast, shrimp-drying platforms and oil derricks incurred $105,000 in damage. However, the hurricane's small size reduced the resulting storm surge, leading to maximum storm tide heights of 2–3 ft (0.61–0.91 m) between Grand Isle and Vermilion Bay. The storm's most destructive effects were associated with squalls that swept across Louisiana and Mississippi in advance of the storm's landfall. These localized storms felled trees throughout New Orleans. Winds in Morgan City reached 68 mph (109 km/h) as the hurricane made landfall. There, homes lost their roofs and chimneys. A rainfall maximum of 9.6 in (240 mm) was recorded in Lafayette. Six people were killed in Louisiana and the property damage toll reached $2.605 million. The American Red Cross estimated that 75–150 homes were destroyed and that another 3,000–7,000 were damaged. An additional $1.5 million damage toll was inflicted upon crops, including corn and cotton. Corn and cotton crops recovered soon after the hurricane's passage.

Squalls associated with the hurricane killed four people and injuring many others in Mississippi. Gusty winds destroyed and unroofed homes in Natchez. The storms produced heavy rainfall across western parts of the state, elevating the Pearl River above flood stage by 1–3.5 ft (0.30–1.07 m) between Monticello and Jackson. Mississippi crops sustained $3 million in losses. In Tennessee's Red River Valley, crops and roads sustained $250,000 in damage from excessive rainfall. Cedar Hill, Tennessee, recorded 10 in (250 mm) of rain in 14 hours; this was the heaviest June rain event in state history. A 50 yd (46 m)-wide tornado struck a rural area north of Joelton, Tennessee on June 17, damaging a few farm buildings. The tropical storm proceeded to produce strong winds and rainfall over New England and the Mid-Atlantic states. A 50 mph (80 km/h)-wind was measured in Atlantic City, New Jersey, as the storm emerged into the Atlantic. The extratropical remnants of the hurricane passed over the Canadian Maritimes with sustained winds of up to 40 mph (65 km/h). The storm caused power outages between Sorel and Montreal, Quebec. Poles were toppled along the Canadian National Railway between the two cities. A fire caused by the storm destroyed three barns near Verchères; eight other barns were destroyed throughout Quebec. The storm also caused flooding in Ontario, inundating some of the main streets in Toronto.