Hurricane Danielle (1998) - Preparations and Impact

Preparations and Impact

Early in its duration, Danielle was considered a potential threat to the Lesser Antilles, with the National Hurricane Center noting that "any deviation to the left of the track would bring Danielle closer the Leeward Islands. Therefore, a hurricane watch may be necessary for this area tonight or Wednesday." However, Danielle bypassed far enough north of the Lesser Antilles to prevent any tropical storm or hurricane watches or warnings. Additionally, the storm was considered a possible threat to Florida, though the National Hurricane Center accurately predicted a re-curvature from the United States mainland well in advance. At 1500 UTC on September 1, a tropical storm warning was issued for Bermuda and was later canceled after Danielle moved safely away from the island.

The outerbands of Danielle produced heavy rainfall in Puerto Rico, causing street flooding and landslides in Bayamón, Guaynabo, Toa Alta, and Vega Alta, after several streams overflowed their banks. In a sector of Bayamón, one house was damaged after a wall collapsed. Losses in Puerto Rico totaled to about $50,000 (1998 USD). Hurricane Bonnie ripped an artificial reef composed of tires offshore Atlantic Beach, North Carolina in late August. Danielle washed numerous loose tires ashore, especially in Emerald Isle. As a result, Governor of North Carolina Jim Hunt requested prison labor and the National Guard clean up beaches from Brunswick County to Carteret County. Instead of resulting in further erosion in the aftermath of Bonnie, Danielle caused the contrary, with some areas of New Jersey reporting as much as a 1 mile (1.6 km) increase in amounts of sand. In Bermuda, sustained winds of 39 mph (63 km/h) and a gust of 54 mph (87 km/h) were reported on September 2. Offshore Atlantic Canada, waves heights reached as high as 82 feet (25 m). However, other than light rainfall in Newfoundland, the storm caused no impact in Canada. Tori Murden, an American attempting to become the first woman to solo row across the Atlantic Ocean, encountered rough seas from the storm and its remnants. By September 7, Murden sent out a distress signal and was rescued by the Independent Spirit later that day.

While passing near the British Isles on September 6 as an extratropical storm, Danielle produced severe sea conditions to the western part of the isles. Erosion became a problem in some areas and many people were rescued from rough seas. Coastal portions of Cornwall were evacuated as high waves broke over the tops of homes, and an all-terrain police vehicle was shoved into the sea by a rogue wave in the Isles of Scilly. An 11 year old boy and his father were trapped in a sea cave on the north coast of Cornwall due to rough surf. Two other men from Port Isaac also became isolated in the same location after their boat capsized. They were eventually rescued by a helicopter that hovered near the entrance of the sea cave. At the West Sands Caravan Park near Selsey, West Sussex, twelve families were evacuated to higher ground. A yacht filled with eight people ran aground near Calshot; they required rescuing by the Solent Coastguards. Flash flooding was reported throughout Wiltshire, especially in the city of Melksham. Numerous motorists were left stranded in inundated streets, while water entered several homes, store basements, a fire station, and the Cooper Avon Tyre Factory.