Hugo affected several islands in the Caribbean, including Guadeloupe and Montserrat, the U.S. Hugo gained intensity while crossing the Atlantic, and by September 13 it had reached full hurricane status, with a wind speed in excess of 64 knots (74 mph). It belongs to the class of hurricanes termed Cape Verde storms. Hurricane Hugo began as a tropical disturbance off the west African coast on September 9, 1989. The format of this report allows the reader to focus on one region at a time so that in-depth study and analysis on a particular area can be readily made. The report also affords a unique opportunity for comparison of emergency preparation and response efforts and the extent of property damage between mainland states and a commonwealth, one-language and two-language cultures, and island and mainland coastlines. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, and the second section reports on the Carolinas. This report for the Committee on Natural Disasters (CND) is unique in that it is two reports in one. However, the many significant differences between the Caribbean Islands and the Carolinas pointed to the need for two study teams to perform reconnaissance studies after Hugo. Some common threads run through Hugo's story from the Caribbean to the Carolinas, such as the lack of surface-wind-speed data, the prediction capability of the Sea, Lake, and Overland Surges from Hurricanes (SLOSH) model, and the poor performance of school buildings in high winds. Even after making landfall, Hugo remained a threat and caused damage over 200 miles inland, and its effects were felt beyond Charlotte, North Carolina. After leaving the islands, Hugo remained over the waters of the Atlantic for over 3 days, gaining in strength and size until it made its assault on the South Carolina coast near Charleston minutes before midnight on September 22. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, leaving $3 billion in damage in its wake. From September 17 through 18, 1989, it passed through the U.S. Hugo was, in some ways, two hurricanes in one. Hurricane Hugo, which caused approximately $10 billion in damage, had been the costliest hurricane to strike the United States before Andrew three years later in 1992.
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