A category 4 hurricane struck the Palm Beach area of Florida bringing storm surges as high as 20 feet crashing into the barrier islands. The storm would rage over Boca Raton, Delray Beach, Lake Worth, Palm Beach, West Palm Beach, Pompano Beach, and Lake Okeechobee. With the high death toll, it is considered to be second worst hurricane since the Galveston Hurricane.—(NOAA)
Date of event: September 17, 1928
Impact:
- >2,500 fatalities in Okeechobee alone (>4,000 fatalities overall); thousands injured
- Estimated damage cost: $32 million ($16 billion today)
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Photo: (Credit: NOAA) Aftermath of the Okeechobee Hurricane in Florida