Hurricane Emily (1987) - Impact and Aftermath

Impact and Aftermath

Tracking through the Lesser Antilles as a tropical storm, Emily brought heavy rains to several islands. In Barbados, high winds caused widespread roof damage and downed trees and power lines; losses on the island reached $100,000. On St. Vincent, the banana industry sustained severe losses, with roughly 70% of the crop destroyed. Schools throughout the island were closed prior and during the storm. Up to of 3 in (76 mm) of rain fell within six hours on the island, causing flooding that forced eight families to evacuate their homes. Damage on the island amounted to $191,000, mainly from landslides. The outer bands of Emily produced moderate rainfall across portions of southwest Puerto Rico, peaking at 4.63 in (118 mm).

In the Dominican Republic, Emily's heavy rains caused widespread mudslides, killing two people. Another person was killed after stepping on a downed power line. An estimated 5,000 people were left homeless in the aftermath of the storm. Upwards of 4.59 in (117 mm) of rain fell during the storm in the Dominican Republic. The farming industry was impacted particularly hard, with $30 million in losses occurring. Following the storm, hundreds of volunteers in the Dominican Republic assisted evacuees in shelters and helped officials clean up the affected areas. The Red Cross was also deployed to the region to assist those left homeless by the storm. In all, Emily caused $80.3 million in damage and killed three people.

Although Emily passed over Haiti, it produced little damage and no loss of life. The lack of fatalities was linked to the amount of forest remaining over the mountains of the country, estimated at 25% of their original size, compared to the 1.4% remaining in 2004. In the Bahamas, Emily produced winds up to 60 mph (95 km/h) along with rainfall up to 1.35 in (34 mm).

Since the storm was not expected to be strong when it passed Bermuda, islanders were caught off guard by the 90 mph (150 km/h) winds. Cars and boats were affected the most, though some houses experienced severe damage during the storm's passage as well. Hurricane Emily caused $50 million in damage to the island, though no one was killed. About 230 buildings lost their roofs and 16 people were injured due to winds gusting in excess of 112 mph (180 km/h). The local airport was shut down as a large portion of its roof was blown off during the storm. Several cars and boats were flipped by the storm and a cruise ship carrying 700 people slipped from its moorings. Before the storm's landfall, officials in Bermuda cut power to roughly 90% of the island to protect the power grid. There were also unconfirmed reports of tornadoes associated with the storm. Emily was the strongest hurricane to hit Bermuda since the 1948 season.