1996 — Sep 9, Hurricane Hortense, rain, flash floods, mudslides, Puerto Rico –21-24

International (Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic):     (26)

–26  National Hurricane Ctr. “Active Atlantic Hurricane Season in 1996 Marks Near Record.”

–21  Avila, L. A. Preliminary Report. Hurricane Hortense 3-16 September 1996. 10-23-1996.

–18  Puerto Rico        –3  Dominican Republic

 

Puerto Rico:

—  24  AP. “Puerto Rico digs out from storm.” Orange County Register, CA. 9-14-1996, 21.[1]

–~22  Reuters (Anna Wardenburg). “Weakened Georges headed for Cuba, Florida,” 9-23-1998.

–~21  Timelines of History. Timeline Puerto Rico (webpage). Cites Assoc. Press, 9-10-1997.

—  20  AP. “Town mourns 4 victims of flooding in [PR].” Cedar Rapids Gazette. 9-15-1996, 3A.

—  19  Hurricane City. “Ponce, Puerto Rico’s history with tropical systems.”

—  18  Avila, L. A. Preliminary Report. Hurricane Hortense 3-16 September 1996. 10-23-1996.

—  18  National Hurricane Ctr. “Active Atlantic Hurricane Season in 1996 Marks Near Record.”

—  18 (plus 3 missing). NWS (Bennett). An Overview of Hurricane Hortense and its Aftermath.

—  14  Longshore. Encyclopedia of Hurricanes, Typhoons, and Cyclones (New Ed.). 2008, p.355.

—  12  New York Times. “Puerto Rico Asks for U.S. Aid to Recover from Hurricane.” 9-12-1996.

 

Locational breakouts (partial):

— 4  Guayama. AP. “Town mourns 4 victims of flooding…” Cedar Rapids Gazette. 9-15-1996, 3

Males, 18 and 50; females, 25 and 44.

— 1  Loiza, near Rio Grande River, male. AP. “Hurricanes Imperil Coasts…” 9-13-1996.

— 1  Patillas beach, southeastern PR. Male. AP. “Hurricanes Imperil Coasts…” 9-13-1996.

— 2  Location not noted. Sisters, 8 and 13.[2]

 

Narrative (Summary)

 

Avila: “Hortense became the second category four hurricane and the fourth category three hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale (SSHS) of the season. Hortense was a wet hurricane and most of the damage was caused by its accompanying torrential rains. Hortense crossed the southwestern tip of Puerto Rico and the eastern top of the Dominican Republic as a category one hurricane and the associated floods killed at least 21 people. Hortense moved northward over the western Atlantic and crossed Nova Scotia as a weakening hurricane.” (Avila, L. A. Preliminary Report. Hurricane Hortense 3-16 September 1996. 10-23-1996)

 

Sources

 

Associated Press. “Hurricane Hortense Slams into Puerto Rico, Killing 8.” 1996. Accessed 5-1-2014 at: http://www.thefreelibrary.com/HURRICANE+HORTENSE+SLAMS+INTO+PUERTO+RICO,+KILLING+8.-a083966835

 

Associated Press. “Hurricanes Imperil Coasts. Hortense Sets Its Sights on Northeastern States.” 9-13-1996. Accessed 5-1-2014 at: http://www.spokesman.com/stories/1996/sep/13/hurricanes-imperil-coasts-hortense-sets-its/

 

Associated Press (Ed McCullough). “Puerto Rico digs out from storm.” Orange County Register, Santa Ana, CA, 9-14-1996, 21. At: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=195153986&sterm

 

Associated Press. “Town mourns 4 victims of flooding in Puerto Rico.” Cedar Rapids Gazette, IA. 9-15-1996, 3A. At: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=153378430&sterm

 

Avila, Lixion A. Preliminary Report. Hurricane Hortense 3-16 September 1996. Miami, FL: National Hurricane Center, NOAA, 10-23-1996. Accessed 5-1-2014 at: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/1996hortense.html

 

Hurricane City. “Ponce, Puerto Rico’s history with tropical systems.” No date. Accessed 5-1-2014 at: http://www.hurricanecity.com/city/ponce.htm

 

Longshore, David.  Encyclopedia of Hurricanes, Typhoons, and Cyclones (New Edition). New York, NY:  Facts on File, 2008.

 

National Hurricane Center (Frank Lepore and Stephanie Kenitzer). “Active Atlantic Hurricane Season in 1996 Marks Near Record (Press Release).” Miami, FL: NHC, NOAA, 11-29-1996. Accessed 5-1-2014 at: http://stormcarib.com/hurr96.htm#tws

 

National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office, San Juan, PR (Shawn P. Bennett). An Overview of Hurricane Hortense and its Aftermath. NWS WFO, San Juan, NOAA, 1-31-2009 update. Accessed 5-1-2014 at: http://www.srh.noaa.gov/sju/?n=1996_hortense

 

New York Times. “Puerto Rico Asks for U.S. Aid to Recover from Hurricane.” 9-12-1996. Accessed 5-1-2014 at: http://www.nytimes.com/1996/09/12/us/puerto-rico-asks-for-us-aid-to-recover-from-hurricane.html

 

Reuters (Anna Wardenburg). “Weakened Georges headed for Cuba, Florida,” 9-23-1998. Accessed 5-1-2014 at: http://www.cubanet.org/CNews/y98/sep98/23e2.htm

 

Timelines of History. Timeline Puerto Rico (webpage). Cites Associated Press, 9-10-1997. Accessed 5-1-2014 at: http://www.timelines.ws/countries/PUERTORICO.HTML

 

 

 

 

 

[1] “The death toll in this U.S. territory rose to 24 Friday [Sep 13], when police discovered five more victims of flash floods and mudslides in Puerto Rico and three drowning victims in the Dominican Republic.”

[2] Associated Press. “Hurricane Hortense Slams into Puerto Rico, Killing 8.” 1996.