Hurricane Joaquin

Enlarged and annotated track of Joaquin from September 29 – October 3 depicting its path through the Bahamas

Large swells ahead of the storm's arrival in the Bahamas washed out a main road on San Salvador Island.[50] Widespread power outages affected several islands as the hurricane closed in.[70] Reports of flooding and people in need of assistance were received from Acklins, Crooked Island, Exuma, and Long Island.[51] Power and communication failures plagued the nation's southeastern islands, leaving several islands effectively isolated in the immediate aftermath of Joaquin.[71] The hurricane took all 59 of BTC's cell sites offline, most of them being returned to service within two weeks.[72] By October 21, the Bahamas Electricity Corporation had remedied about 80% of its power outages, aided by crews from New Providence and the Caribbean Association of Electric Utilities group.[73] Early aerial surveys revealed that Acklins, Rum Cay, Crooked Island, and San Salvador Island were "completely devastated".[74] Throughout the archipelago, flooding from the hurricane trapped over 500 residents.[75]

Floodwaters up to 5 ft (1.5 m) deep submerged at least 70% of nearby Crooked Island, where the storm left widespread structural damage.[76] The hurricane "completely destroyed" a Bahamas Electricity Corporation power plant, where two large diesel tanks were shifted off their bases, allowing more than 10,000 gallons of fuel to leak into the ground.[77] In the days following the storm, about 100 evacuees—including 46 from Crooked Island—were flown to New Providence, where several of them sought medical attention.[78][79] On Long Island and Crooked Island, septic tank seepage contaminated residential wells, leaving residents without clean drinking water. Both areas still had extensive standing water on October 7.[80] Acklins endured severe flooding, with many homes inundated and numerous calls for rescue; the island's sea barrier was breached by 9:00 a.m. local time. Some residents reported the entire island to be under water.[52] A bridge in Lovely Bay was completely destroyed.[76]

Water vapor loop of Joaquin passing through the Bahamas on October 2

Long Island was subject to an immense 18 ft (5.5 m) storm surge that flooded homes with up to 12 ft (3.7 m) of water.[80][81] Southern areas of the island suffered considerable devastation; the surge washed out coastal roadways and drove numerous fishing boats ashore.[82] The district's Member of Parliament, Loretta Butler-Turner, estimated that 75% of all fishing vessels there were destroyed. This, combined with heavy losses to farms and crops, threatened the livelihoods of many residents.[81] About 20 individuals required rescue on Long Island, while some hurricane shelters became compromised by water entrance.[83] The bodies of dead animals were seen floating in the water.[84] Strong winds unroofed dozens of homes,[75] and many structures were fully destroyed.[85] Northern parts of the island fared better in comparison.[80] The winds and flooding took a large toll on native vegetation, even well inland.[80]

Powerful winds brought down trees and utility poles on Rum Cay, clogging roadways.[85] A number of homes were damaged or destroyed in the district; two grocery stores and a municipal dock also sustained damage. A church housing 32 evacuees became flooded and structurally compromised, forcing the inhabitants to relocate.[86] Joaquin also damaged power lines in Exuma, where "extreme" flooding was reported. There was modest structural damage on Mayaguana, the easternmost island of the Bahamas.[87]

Joaquin was one of the strongest known hurricanes to impact the Bahamas,[88] and directly affected nearly 7,000 people there.[87] Several weeks after the storm, officials estimated that 836 residences had been destroyed, including 413 on Long Island, 227 on San Salvador, 123 on Acklins, 50 on Crooked Island, and 23 on Rum Cay.[72] The storm's effects were considered comparable to the destruction wrought by Hurricane Andrew in 1992, which struck the northwestern Bahamas as a Category 5.[89] Initial claims of numerous casualties throughout the island chain proved unsubstantiated,[74] and although one man died during the storm on Long Island, his death was unrelated to the hurricane.[90] In the aftermath of the hurricane, one person was reported missing on Ragged Island, which escaped with relatively minor effects.[76][80] Initial analysis determined that Joaquin resulted in $120.6 million in damage. However, one year later it was revealed that the storm actually caused $200 million in damage across the Bahamian archipelago.[4][5] Due to low insurance penetration, insured losses were expected to account for no more than half of that total.[91]

Airports in the hardest-hit districts were damaged, flooded, and carpeted in debris,[76] forcing storm victims to rely on helicopters, seaplanes, and watercraft to deliver storm relief.[82][92] Workers gradually cleared runways for emergency use in the days following the storm,[76] and all airports were open for normal operations by October 9.[72] By October 4, the Government of Jamaica and the United States Agency for International Development had donated 50 tonnes and just over 32 tonnes, respectively, of emergency supplies to the Bahamas.[93] Private groups, local businesses, and non-governmental organizations, such as the Bahamas Red Cross, started donation drives and began distributing goods to storm victims.[94] The Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency arranged for three response teams to evaluate the situation on Acklins, Crooked Island and Long Island.[76] BTC established communication centers on Ragged Island, Inagua, and Long Island, giving affected citizens the opportunity to contact family members for free.[95]

A special committee was formed to oversee reconstruction efforts, while government officials began considering new laws to enact stricter building codes.[96] The government pledged to help eligible homeowners rebuild and repair their property.[97] On October 6, Prime Minister of the Bahamas Perry Christie signed an order waiving import duties on materials needed for rebuilding by storm victims and registered charities on 12 islands. Local leaders called for an extension of the three-month exemption period, which many saw as inadequate.[98] In what residents feared to be a major economic setback, storm-related damage forced Club Med to delay the annual opening of its San Salvador resort—the largest employer on the island—by two months.[99] At the end of October, the National Emergency Management Agency began to shift its focus from emergency relief distribution to permanent rebuilding efforts.[100]

Parts of the Bahamas were affected by Hurricane Matthew the following year, Hurricane Irma in 2017, and Hurricane Dorian in 2019.

Satellite image at 11:45 UTC (7:45 a.m. EDT) on October 1 depicting the approximate final position of the SS El Faro in relation to Hurricane Joaquin

An American cargo ship—the 791 ft (241 m) El Faro[101]—went missing near Crooked Island with 33 crew members (28 Americans and 5 Poles) amid 20 to 30 ft (6.1 to 9.1 m) seas near the hurricane's eyewall.[102][103][104] The vessel was last reported to have lost propulsion and begun to list around 7:30 a.m. local time on October 1.[102][105] Hurricane hunters aircraft investigating the storm flew much lower than normal in an unsuccessful effort to locate the stricken ship.[102] The United States Coast Guard conducted searches during the day of October 2 without success; efforts resumed at dawn on October 3.[106] On October 3, a lifebuoy from El Faro was recovered about 75 mi (121 km) northeast of the ship's last known position.[74] Floating containers and "deck objects" were discovered by the Coast Guard on the next morning, and oil sheen was noted in the area, though it was not conclusively linked to the missing vessel.[104] A 225 sq mi (580 km²) debris field consisting of wood, cargo, styrofoam, and other objects was discovered that afternoon.[107] The joint mission conducted by the Coast Guard, Air Force, Navy, and Air National Guard British Royal Naval MK8 Lynx from RFA Lyme Bay covered more than 242,000 sq mi (630,000 km²) in search of the vessel and its crew. The Coast Guard called off search operations at sunset on October 7, with the ship and her crew presumed lost.[108][109] One body, presumed to be from El Faro, was spotted but could not be recovered.[110][111] A Navy salvage team was requested, at the behest of the National Transportation Safety Board, to search for the wreckage.[112]

Though the storm's center remained north of the Greater Antilles, some coastal areas experienced rough winds and high seas. In Cuba, the station at Guantánamo Bay recorded gusts of 55 mph (89 km/h).[25] The storm caused coastal flooding and damage to roofs in Granma Province;[113] more than 100 homes were affected in the province.[114] Rain from the storm somewhat alleviated conditions from a record drought in Granma, Guantánamo, and Santiago de Cuba provinces, though many reservoirs remained below 30 percent capacity in the latter.[115][116] Niquero, Granma, saw 6.2 in (157 mm) of rain.[117]

Along the northern coast of Haiti's Tiburon Peninsula, high waves from the hurricane capsized a boat with two occupants, killing one of them. Many communes experienced significant coastal flooding from storm tides and active seas, which drove water up to half a kilometer inland. More than 100 homes in Artibonite were inundated, and the main road to Anse-Rouge was impassable.[76][118] Strong winds brought down multiple trees in the commune of Grand-Saline, where severe flooding was also reported. In Nippes and Nord-Ouest, four emergency shelters housed nearly 300 individuals. Joaquin damaged banana and millet fields, killed a small number of livestock, and triggered several landslides.[76] In the four hardest-hit departments, about 900 households were directly affected by the storm. The Haitian government distributed nearly 500 hygiene kits to 200 families in Nippes, while evacuees in Port-de-Paix received mattresses, bed sheets, hygiene kits, food kits, and clean water; Action Against Hunger also donated water purification tablets.[118]

North of Haiti, the 212 ft (65 m) cargo vessel Minouche began to sink in heavy weather. The U.S. Coast Guard safely rescued all 12 crew members from a life-raft late on October 1.[119]

Enhanced IR satellite loop, showing Joaquin making its closest approach to Bermuda early on October 5

As conditions worsened throughout October 4, roadways on Bermuda became obstructed by debris and floodwaters, and electric crews combated growing power outages.[120] By the next morning, the hurricane had cut power to over 15,000 customers;[121] service was returned to the vast majority of households by October 8, despite further inclement weather briefly impeding restoration work.[122] Sustained tropical storm-force winds gusted to 72 mph (116 km/h) at the airport,[123] with gusts as high as 115 mph (185 km/h) at more exposed and elevated points.[124] The historic Commissioner's House at the Bermuda Maritime Museum lost the last of its original roof, which was heavily damaged by hurricanes Fay and Gonzalo of October 2014.[125] In general, however, property damage across the island was minor.[126]

In the Turks and Caicos Islands, heavy rains and storm surge from Joaquin compromised infrastructure, including roadways, docks, and bulkheads. The seawall along Front Street on Grand Turk Island was damaged, prompting officials to close part of the road. Multiple homes along the coast faced flooding and leaking roofs. In several areas, pounding surf brought about coastal erosion and deposited large volumes of seaweed. Providenciales International Airport remained closed for two days while its storm-damaged weather station awaited replacement. Additionally, the territory lost fruit and vegetable crops to the storm, especially at the government farm on North Caicos.[127]

Although Joaquin ultimately tracked far to the east of the United States, a non-tropical low over the Southeast tapped into the hurricane's moisture. An atmospheric river developed between the two systems, resulting in record-shattering rains and flooding across North and South Carolina. Several areas of South Carolina saw accumulations exceeding the threshold for a 1-in-1,000-year event. The subsequent floods inundated large areas of the state—with areas around Charleston and Columbia hardest-hit—and killed 19 people.[128][129] This storm caused an additional $2 billion (2015 USD) in damage.[130]

On April 25, 2016, it was announced by the World Meteorological Organization that the name Joaquin would be retired, due to the severe damage in the Bahamas and sinking of the SS El Faro. The name was replaced with Julian for the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season.[131]