Effects of Hurricane Jeanne in Puerto Rico
| Tropical storm (SSHWS/NWS) | |
Radar image of Jeanne striking Puerto Rico
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| Winds |
1-minute sustained: 70 mph (110 km/h) |
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| Pressure | 991 mbar (hPa); 29.26 inHg |
| Fatalities | 4 direct, 4 indirect |
| Damage | $169.5 million (2004 USD) |
| Areas affected | Puerto Rico |
| Part of the 2004 Atlantic hurricane season | |
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The effects of Hurricane Jeanne in Puerto Rico included the most damage from a tropical cyclone since Hurricane Georges in 1998. Jeanne, the tenth tropical storm of the 2004 Atlantic hurricane season, struck the United States territory of Puerto Rico on September 15, with 70 mph (110 km/h). While crossing the island, the storm dropped heavy rainfall, peaking at 19.2 in (490 mm) at Aibonito, with a total of 23.75 in (603 mm) on the offshore island of Vieques. The rainfall caused widespread flooding, resulting in landslides and heavy crop damage. Winds reached 72 mph (117 km/h) at Cayey, and its combination with the rainfall left most of the island without power or water.
Before Jeanne struck, the Puerto Rican governor ordered shutting down the island's entire power supply to prevent electrocution deaths. In the days after the storm, the power and water were restored. With damage totaling $169.5 million (2004 USD), President George W. Bush declared Puerto Rico as a disaster area, which allocated federal funds for assistance. Ultimately, more than 155,933 people received $401.1 million in aid. Overall, Jeanne caused eight deaths on the island, four of which directly, and the name was eventually retired from the naming list.
Hurricane Jeanne originated as a tropical depression on September 13 from a tropical wave, just east of the Lesser Antilles. At that time, the United States government issued a tropical storm warning for the entirety of Puerto Rico, about 43 hours prior to Jeanne making landfall on the island. As it moved through the northeastern Caribbean Sea the storm steadily intensified, and by late on September 14 Jeanne was forecast to move across the island as a minimal hurricane. As a result, the tropical storm warning was upgraded to a hurricane warning. Ultimately, Jeanne made landfall at 1600 UTC on September 15 as a 70 mph (110 km/h) tropical storm, about 17 mi (29 km) east of Guayama.
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