Los huracanes y la formación de las sociedades circumcaribeñas

Abstract

Using the San Felipe hurricane of 1928 which devastated Puerto Rico and areas of Florida, this article attempts to provide an overview of the importance of hurricanes in the overall development of the greater Caribbean region. It reviews the literatures of history, social sciences, relief agencies, meteorology related to hurricanes, and then turns to the way in which hurricanes historically shaped the social, political, and economic history of various European regimes in the region. It returns to the 1928 storm to examine the growing dependence on state intervention in meeting social and economic needs after disasters, and it emphasizes how differing social and political systems produce different results.