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35 devastating photographs from Miami, after the Great Miami Hurricane in 1926

David Goran
Coast Guard Cutter Washed Ashore in Bayfront Park Photo by G.W. Romer
Coast Guard Cutter Washed Ashore in Bayfront Park Photo by G.W. Romer

The 1926 Miami hurricane, commonly called the “Great Miami” hurricane, was a large and intense tropical cyclone that devastated the Greater Miami area and caused extensive damage in the Bahamas and the U.S. Gulf Coast in September 1926.

The tropical cyclone is believed to have formed in the central Atlantic Ocean on September 11. Steadily strengthening as it tracked west-northwestward, the tropical storm reached hurricane intensity the next day. As a result of scattered observations at open sea, however, no ship encountered the storm until September 15, by which time the cyclone had reached major hurricane intensity north of the Virgin Islands. Strengthening continued up until the following day, when the storm reached peak intensity with a strength equivalent to a Category 4 hurricane. This intensity was maintained as the storm tracked across the Turks and Caicos and the Bahamas to landfall near Miami on September 18.

 

Panoramic view of Miami after the hurricane wryly titled Miami’s New Drydock September 18, 1926
Panoramic view of Miami after the hurricane wryly titled Miami’s New Drydock September 18, 1926

 

A boat washed ashore during the Great Miami Hurricane. This particular boat is sitting on on Bay Shore drive, and the image was taken on September 18, 1926. Source NOAA
A boat washed ashore during the Great Miami Hurricane. This particular boat is sitting on Bay Shore drive, and the image was taken on September 18, 1926. Source NOAA

 

Miami Beach
Wreckage and Smashed Autos at South End of Miami Beach

 

Biscayne Boulevard, Miami
Biscayne Boulevard, Miami

 

Boats Washed Ashore
Boats Washed Ashore

 

Capsized Ship
Capsized Ship

 

Coast Guard Cutter Washed Ashore in Bayfront Park Photo by G.W. Romer
Coast Guard Cutter Washed Ashore in Bayfront Park Photo by G.W. Romer

 

The 1926 storm was described by the U.S. Weather Bureau in Miami as “probably the most destructive hurricane ever to strike the United States.” It hit Fort Lauderdale, Dania, Hollywood, Hallandale and Miami. The death toll is estimated to be from 325 to perhaps as many as 800. No storm in previous history had done as much property damage.

 

Remains of a bridge at Baker's Haulover Inlet
Remains of a bridge at Baker’s Haulover Inlet

 

 

Coconut Grove House
Coconut Grove House

 

Damage at Miami Beach after 1926 hurricane
Damage at Miami Beach after 1926 hurricane

 

Damage in downtown Miami after the hurricane
Damage in downtown Miami after the hurricane

 

Damage to Knights Chapel
Damage to Knights Chapel

 

Structural damage was stupefying. Utility poles hurtled through the air. Roofs were torn from buildings. Electricity and water were cut off. Even the beach seemed to shift; Collins Avenue was covered in sand, as were lobbies of prestigious oceanfront hotels.

Factory Windows Blown Out
Factory Windows Blown Out
Damaged homes after the hurricane
Damaged homes after the hurricane
Deauville Hotel, Miami Beach
Deauville Hotel, Miami Beach
Destruction throughout the Miami Area
Destruction throughout the Miami Area

 

Flagler Street, Downtown Miami
Flagler Street, Downtown Miami

According to the American Red Cross, the storm caused 372 fatalities, including 114 from the city of Miami, but these totals apparently do not include deaths outside the United States. Prior to 2003, the National Weather Service had long accepted 243 as the number of deaths, but historical research indicated that this total was far too low. The NWS then updated its totals to reflect the new findings. Even the estimates for the United States are uncertain and vary, since there were many people, especially transients and colored migrants in South Florida, listed as “missing”. About 43,000 people were left homeless, mostly in the Miami area.

 

Fulford Speedway after the Hurricane
Fulford Speedway after the Hurricane
Downtown Miami
Downtown Miami

 

A House Surrounded by Water after the Great Hurricane of 1926
A House Surrounded by Water after the Great Hurricane of 1926

 

Grand Avenue, Coconut Grove
Grand Avenue, Coconut Grove

 

Hollywood, corner of Arthur and Dixie Highway
Hollywood, corner of Arthur and Dixie Highway

 

Aerial view of Miami Beach, Florida, October 1, 1926. State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory; photo Richard B. Hoit
Aerial view of Miami Beach, Florida, October 1, 1926. State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory; photo Richard B. Hoit

 

Houseboats Washed Ashore
Houseboats Washed Ashore

 

Little River Flooding, Miami
Little River Flooding, Miami

 

Makeshift Tent House On Red Red After Hurricane
Makeshift Tent House On Red Red After Hurricane

 

Miami Beach House
Miami Beach House

 

Miami's South Beach Area
Miami’s South Beach Area

 

Piled Up Homes Wrecked by the Hurricane
Piled Up Homes Wrecked by the Hurricane

 

Several events, including the sinking of a ship in the Miami harbor and an embargo by the Florida East Coast Railroad before the storm, weakened the Florida land boom of the 1920s in South Florida. However, the storm is considered the final blow to end the boom locally. Thousands of newcomers to Florida left the state and cleared their bank accounts, leaving many banks to the brink of bankruptcy. As a result, the Great Depression of 1929 did not make a great impact to Florida unlike the rest of the country. Many planned developments, which had fallen into deadlock due to insufficient resources, were abandoned due to the economic effects of the hurricane. In Boca Raton, for instance, one planned community by Addison Mizner, called Villa Rica, was destroyed by the hurricane and never rebuilt. South Florida did not achieve full economic recovery until the 1940s.

 

Short Street, Miami
Short Street, Miami

 

Fort Lauderdale church
Fort Lauderdale Church

 

Automobile Driven
Automobile Driven Against Wall on 1st Street

 

View of South Miami Beach
View of South Miami Beach

 

Washington Avenue, Miami Beach
Washington Avenue, Miami Beach

 

Young Circle, Hollywood
Young Circle, Hollywood

 

This is actual Film footage taken in and around the Miami and Miami Beach area of some of the damage caused by this historical hurricane.

 

 

 

 

 

Photos: Florida Memory Project NOAA

 

David Goran

David Goran is one of the authors writing for The Vintage News