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The 1926 Miami Hurricane (or '''Great Miami Hurricane''' or the '''Big Blow''') was an intense Hurricane that devastated Miami, Florida in 1926 . The storm also caused significant damage in Alabama and the Bahamas . The storm's enormous regional economic impact helped end the Florida land boom of the 1920s and pushed the region on an early start into the Great Depression . STORM HISTORY The Cape Verde-type Hurricane formed on September 6 . The hurricane roamed the Atlantic Ocean and passed near St. Kitts on the 14th . By the 17th it was battering the Bahamas , impacting the Turks And Caicos Islands with winds estimated at 150 Mph . Then, in the early morning hours of the 18th , it made landfall just south of Miami in between Coral Gables and South Miami as a devastating Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale . The storm crossed the Peninsula south of Lake Okeechobee , entered the Gulf Of Mexico , and made another landfall near Mobile, Alabama as a Category 3 hurricane. IMPACT In Florida, winds on the ground were reported around 125 mph and the pressure measured at 935 Mbar ( HPa ) (though all such data is suspect). Most of the coastal inhabitants had not evacutated, partly because of short warning (a hurricane warning was issued just a few hours before landfall) and partly because the "young" city's population knew little about the danger a major hurricane posed. A 15 foot Storm Surge inundated the area, causing massive property damage and some fatalities. As the eye of the hurricane crossed over Miami Beach and downtown Miami, many people believed the storm had passed. Some tried to leave the barrier islands, only to be swept off of the bridges by the rear eyewall. Inland, Lake Okeechobee experienced a high Storm Surge that broke a portion of the dikes, flooding the town of Moore Haven and killing many. This was just a prelude to the deadly 1928 Lake Okeechobee Hurricane , which would cause a massive number of fatalities estimated at 2,500 around the lake. Coastal regions between Mobile and Pensacola, Florida also suffered heavy damage from wind, rain, and storm surge, but this paled beside the news of the destruction in Miami. According to the Red Cross there were 373 fatalities. Other estimates vary, since there were a large number of people listing as "missing". Between 25,000 and 50,000 people were left homeless, mostly in the Miami area. The damage from the storm was immense; few buildings in Miami or Miami Beach were left intact. The toll for the storm was $100 million in 1926 dollars, just over $2 billion in 2005 dollars. It is estimated that if an identical storm hit in the year started in South Florida, slowing recovery. TRIVIA The University Of Miami had been founded in 1925 and opened its doors for the first time just days after the hurricane passed. Some sources claim that in memory of this catastrophe, the university's sports teams go by the name Hurricanes . SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS
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