Hurricane Hugo impacted the Caribbean and Virgin Islands crossing Guadeloupe and St. Croix on September 17th and 18th as a category 4 hurricane. Hugo continued northwest and reached the island of Montserrat, several hours later. Although the eye of the hurricane missed Montserrat, Hugo was still producing sustained winds of 140 mph and pounded the island. Nearly every home on Montserrat was destroyed or heavily damaged, leaving 11,000 of the island’s 12,000 people homeless. Numerous schools, hospitals, and churches were destroyed, along with the police department, the government headquarters, and the main power station.
Twenty-foot waves in the harbour of the main town, Plymouth, destroyed the 180-foot Stone Jetty, and heavy rains of up to seven inches created mudslides at the foot of Chances Peak that destroyed 21 homes. Ten people were killed on Montserrat, 89 injured, and damage topped $260 million, making it the most expensive hurricane in the island’s history. Electric, water and telephone service were disrupted for weeks, necessitating a massive U.S and British relief effort.
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