Gilbert began its fierce run on September 8, 1988 as the 12th tropical depression of the season, near the Windward Islands. Continuing its movement over the warm 27 ° C waters of the Caribbean, the depression intensified to a tropical storm on September 9, and received its name.
This pattern of intensification continued to transform the system into an intense hurricane (greater than category 3 on the Saffir-Simpson scale) on September 10, coinciding with the maximum climatological activity of the hurricane seasons in the Atlantic Ocean. The route to Jamaica was with 200 km / h winds, which made Gilbert a Category 3 hurricane at the time. It was the first hurricane to hit Jamaica directly since 1951.
This natural phenomenon was formed in the Windward Islands and from there it intensified more and more and the alerts began. When it touches Jamaican soil, it feels its strength and is considered the most important in intensity since 1951, tearing trees, power lines and very touristy floods like those of Ocho Ríos.
When it arrived in Mexico, a few days later it was already classified as a category five hurricane, a fact that shows the force with which it touched Mexican territory. In addition to the strong winds, in Mexico the ground was accompanied by very intense storms that unleashed significant floods when the Santa Catarina River overflowed in the city of Monterrey.
Hurricane Gilbert and Gilberto remain one of the saddest memories of the areas they decimated: Northern Mexico, Texas, Jamaica, Central America, the Yucatan Peninsula, Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and the Windward Islands. Although we must say that this very strong tropical cyclone belonging to the Atlantic hurricane cycle hit Mexico the hardest and that is why it is classified as the most terrifying hurricane in the history of the country, including Mexico, where the highest number of human victims was registered.
Gilberto caused a total of 318 deaths: 202 in Mexico, 45 in Jamaica, 30 in Haiti, 12 in Guatemala, 5 in Venezuela and the Dominican Republic, 3 in the United States, and 2 in Costa Rica and Nicaragua. There is no exact figure for the total damage caused by Gilberto, but the total for all affected territories is estimated to be $ 5 billion (1988).
