1926 Great Miami Hurricane Hit Sept. 18, 1926

In 1926 Florida was in the midst of a housing boom and land prices were skyrocketing. This was brought to an end by the 1926 Great Miami Hurricane, which was also referred to as Hurricane Seven. The Category 4 hurricane moved across Miami the morning of September 18, devastating South Florida and parts of the Bahamas and the U.S. Gulf Coast. Peak sustained winds were 145 to 150 miles per hour. About half of Miami’s population was left homeless and there were more than 100 deaths in the city. Total deaths in Florida were 372 to 539. Martial law was declared and the Florida National Guard and Red Cross handled relief efforts. The hurricane ended the land boom, was a blow to Florida’s economy and contributed to the onset of the Great Depression.

If you want to read the accounts as they came in, the Concord Daily Tribune devoted much of its front page to the devastation in its Sept. 20, 1926, issue with a headline reading “Between 600 and 1,500 Die in Miami Area.” You will find these articles at newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn92073201/1926-09-20/ed-1/seq-1/.