Caribbean hurricanes are one of the most frequent natural disasters that impact the Caribbean. A hurricane is a tropical cyclone with sustained one-minute winds of at least 74 miles per hour. They are created when warm water hits the troposphere and high pressure pushes warm, dry air down in the center. This occurrence is particularly strong in the Caribbean due to the high amounts of humidity and warm air produce near perfect conditions to form these hurricanes, which are measured by the Saffir-Simpson scale and the Power Dispersion Index (PDI). When this extreme amount of energy encounters a society, the effects are of great magnitude. Because of these favorable conditions, there have been many hurricanes that have passed through and affected the Caribbean waters. Most notably The Great Hurricane of 1780, San Ciriaco in 1899, Hurricane Gilbert in 1988, the hurricane season of 2008, Hurricane Sandy in 2012, Hurricane Joaquin in 2015, and most recently, Hurricane Irma in late 2017. The Atlantic Hurricane Season runs from June to November 30 and peaks from August to October. The people of the Caribbean view hurricanes as a natural part of life. When a hurricane touches down on a Caribbean island the damage is substantial; the ecology is thrown out of its normal cycle, topography shifts, agriculture is set back, the economy and industry take a blow, society either unites or falls apart, infrastructure is ruined, and preventative measures must be implemented. There is no part of Caribbean life or its history that is untouched by natural disasters. As far back as Columbus, hurricane activity was recorded as he sailed across the Atlantic. This extensive record of impacts influences Caribbean life and the people living in the Caribbean nations.
Ecology
The ecology of the Caribbean is tropical because of its proximity to the equator with warm temperatures that result in a humid climate. There are many ecosystems in the Caribbean with a multitude of tropical plants, trees and animals. When a hurricane passes over an island, it brings usually heavy rainfall and strong winds. These heavy rains saturate the soil and make it weaker, while the tree canopies became heavier than normal. The strong winds bring debris and break down the trees, which contributes to the amount of debris that would be carried by flooded rivers. The drier the hurricane, the less impact it would cause because soil is not as saturated. The effects of the hurricane on vegetation structure and trees are notable effects of Caribbean hurricanes. The damage of the Jamaican Cockpit Country revealed that the least damage was in the bottom of valleys protected by forests and the most damage was on slopes with no other vegetation for protection. The defoliation of the canopy can be a positive effect because the winds blow the leaves to the forest floor and deliver nutrient pulses to much needed plants. The susceptibility of plants to storms depends on the age, density, and proximity to larger plants. Animals are also affected by their physical death, changes in food supply and changes in the microenvironment, the degree of survival differing with each affected category. For example, the physical numbers of bird populations were largely reduced by Hurricane Gilbert, but recovered quickly, while the populations that lived in forests with foliage damage took longer to recover. The effects of hurricanes on animals and their environment is significant, but the extent is unknown because of the multiple plant species and soil quality that influence the research of the ecology after a Hurricane.
Topography The natives of the Caribbean suggested that hurricanes were a natural part of the cycle of life, so they adjusted for survival. The Taínos, natives of the Greater Antilles, built their lives around the seasonality, frequency and power of storms. In the 1700s, authorities began to prohibit building along the coast because they wanted to lessen illegal activity and foreign contact, but it would also help to lessen the casualties of a hurricane's storm surge. The citizens whose jobs involved the sea would have to obtain licenses before they could sail. Inland, flooding did the greatest damage. Cuba's dense forests had to be cut down in the 1790s to make room for the growing population, even though the trees were preventing soil erosion in that area. The increase in population and danger of soil erosion made the rains of future hurricanes disastrous.
Agriculture and economy
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