1917 Nueva Gerona hurricane

On September 21, the United States Weather Bureau issued advisories because of strong swells in the Leeward Islands, indicating the presence of a tropical disturbance.[6]

The system produced heavy precipitation and strong winds in the eastern Caribbean islands.[2] In Jamaica, the hurricane caused significant damages to banana and coconut plantations. Communications from Holland Bay were disrupted when the station was demolished.[7] The greatest damages were reported from the northern half of the island.[6] At Port Antonio, the custom house was destroyed, while a hotel was severely damaged. Nine deaths occurred in the city.[8] In Nueva Gerona, Cuba, severe winds destroyed well constructed buildings, devastating the town.[6] Only ten homes remained standing.[9] At a large plantation, every building but the house was destroyed. Nearly all of the chickens on the property were killed during the storm.[10] Throughout Isla de la Juventud, damage reached approximately $2 million. The island's food supply was also ruined.[9] Offshore, a number of ships capsized or went missing, resulting in "many" deaths.[11] There were at least 20 fatalities on the island,[12] while other accounts state that there were hundreds killed.[13] Orchards and crops were destroyed on the Pinar del Río Province.[6] A relief committed issued an appeal for aid to then-Cuban president Mario García Menocal and Americans.[9] At the Burnside Hotel, among few buildings were demolished, a soup kitchen was opened to feed storm victims.[10]

Rainfall totals (in inches) in the United States

On September 23, northeast storm warnings were issued for the Florida coast from West Palm Beach to Boca Grande.[6] On September 25, the Weather Bureau advised marine traffic to remain alert in the Gulf of Mexico, noting that the intensity of the storm was unknown.[14] Later, hurricane warnings were issued from Apalachicola, Florida, to Mobile, Alabama, on September 25. Warnings were also released from Pascagoula, Mississippi, to New Orleans, Louisiana, on September 26. The warnings were briefly discontinued because of track uncertainties, but they were re-issued when the cyclone began to curve northeast. On September 27 and September 28, scheduled vessel trips were cancelled in New Orleans, Louisiana. Marine traffic resumed after the storm passed east of the city. The storm struck the Gulf Coast later than anticipated because of slow forward motion.[6]

In Louisiana, rain bands produced 6.40 in (163 mm) of rain in Burrwood.[6] The Louisville and Nashville Railroad sent trains on alternate routes because of eroded tracks near Lake Catherine. The effects of the cyclone also damaged crops and timber stands in Louisiana and Mississippi.[15] The storm surge associated with the hurricane moved several structures from their foundations in Buras, Louisiana.[6] There, the storm was blamed for the death of an 8-year-old boy.[2] Nine additional fatalities occurred near Houma after the fishing bark Wanna was wrecked.[16] In Biloxi, warnings prevented considerable loss of shrimp boats.[15] Street cars and other traffic were practically suspended in Gulfport.[17]

In Alabama, more than 5 in (130 mm) of rain was measured in Montgomery,[15] prompting flood advisories for the lower Alabama River watershed.[6] At Camp Sheridan, a United States Army World War I training camp, the streets were inundated with at least a few inches of water.[16] In Mobile, trees and telephone and telegraph wires were downed,[15][17] cutting off communications. Roofs were detached and the galleries of houses were torn away. Police stopped the streets cars were operating and shut off the electricity.[17] No boats from the area were lost, and waterfront damage was negligible.[15]

The hurricane severed communication from Pensacola, Florida, though reports eventually indicated that the wireless radio plant was not destroyed.[15] Several small watercraft washed ashore, including the USS Quincy, and numerous wharves, docks, and boat storages received damage.[6] Total damages reached about $170,000 in the vicinity of Pensacola.[6] Near the city, a portion of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad was 8 ft (2.4 m) underwater, while several of their bridges washed away.[16] At Valparaiso, tides reached 7.5 ft (2.3 m) above normal.[18] Significant destruction of timber occurred in Okaloosa and Santa Rosa counties, and crops, structures, and livestock were affected.[6] Strong winds occurred along the southwest coast of Florida, and a wind gust of 44 mph (71 km/h) was reported in Jacksonville.[6] A total of five people were killed in Crestview.[6]

The storm and its remnants also produced rainfall in Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina.[19]