Hurricane Hugo - Luquillo, Puerto Rico - September 18, 1989

Posted on October 28th, 2008

This is my Hurricane Hugo chase video. The footage was taken during Hugo's landfall on the northeast tip of Puerto Rico at Luquillo. In my 25 years of hurricane chasing, this remains, overall, the best footage I have ever been fortunate enough to capture. Though I have been in stronger hurricanes, given that Hugo was a Category Four and the strongest portion of the eyewall passed directly over my location (during daylight hours), I had the rare opportunity to document the full force of an intense hurricane at a direct coastal location. Though significant damage begins about 8 minutes into the video, the peak winds occur between 10 through 21 minutes in, and are sustained near 135mph with gusts to 160-170mph. An anemometer on the island of Culebra (just offshore Eastern Puerto Rico) reported a peak gust of 170mph when the same portion of the eyewall passed over that location a couple of hours prior to reaching Luquillo.

Tags: 1989, Cyclone, disaster, Extreme, Hugo, HURRICANE, Hurricanes, Puerto, Rico, Severe, Storms, Tropical, Typhoon, Weather, wind
Filed under Emergency Preparedness |

25 Responses to “Hurricane Hugo - Luquillo, Puerto Rico - September 18, 1989”

1. Angelorium007 Says:
   October 28th, 2008 at 12:44 am

   Yo tenia 7 anos y me acuerdo como si fuera ayer.

2. 1cr0w1 Says:
   October 28th, 2008 at 12:44 am

   espero que Omar se intensifice con vientos de 115 y nos atraviese, jaja

3. masracing Says:
   October 28th, 2008 at 12:44 am

   yo tenia 8 meses cuando paso Hugo o sea no me acuerdo de el pero lo pase..y ahora con la tormenta o quizas huracan Omar a ver que pasa en los proximos dias..les deseo el bien estar y seguridad a todos los boricuas a ver si pasamos de esto sin mucha destruccion y malos ratos ya que muchas familias han sufrido suficiente por las lluvias de las semanas pasadas

4. alergioloco Says:
   October 28th, 2008 at 12:44 am

   tenia 5 años cuando paso ese hurracan la pase durmiendo

5. Ninshitsu Says:
   October 28th, 2008 at 12:44 am

   Yo estaba aki de vacaciones, me acuerdo con mis padres, y mi abuela le decia a mi madre q no adelantara el pasaje ke eso no iba a pasar por aki, y mami no le hizo caso y nos fuimos, 2 dias despues paso. Como al mes mi tio nos envio un video del huracan y se veo bn brutal y la gente robandose tv debajo del aguacero!!! No c supone q se da~e si se moja??

6. jamaro65 Says:
   October 28th, 2008 at 12:44 am

   God bless you and your family too!

7. PauPau1396 Says:
   October 28th, 2008 at 12:44 am

   Yo tenia 2 cuando Hugo paso por Puerto Rico, lo unico que recuerdo, que me impacto muchisimo, fue como los carros que estaban estacionandos en el estacionamiento del condominio en el que vivia se viraban “patas pa’rriba”

8. carmelo1966 Says:
   October 28th, 2008 at 12:44 am

   I was living in new york at the time and I remember calling my Mom and there was no answer. I was scared thinking that my Mothers house didn’t make it, then the call went thru and my mother was ok.

9. kingcollazo0307 Says:
   October 28th, 2008 at 12:44 am

   i was 11 no water light in two months (FOR HUMACAO)

10. blackkymera Says:
    October 28th, 2008 at 12:44 am

    I was 15 when it hit our area, Las Piedras. I remember dad taking us out to see how the sea birds passed our house searching protection. We were with all the family and my mom’s sister. The water came in trough the electric plugs in the wall. We were without water for two weeks and without light for one month. El Yunque was like elrapto says, like it was badly burned and all the houses were covered in leaves plastered to the wall.

11. gethzerion Says:
    October 28th, 2008 at 12:44 am

    I was 5 when this one hit us in PR. I only remember pieces of it, though, not the full devastation it caused.

12. jetcomputer Says:
    October 28th, 2008 at 12:44 am

    A este huracan no lo midieron bien. This hurricane was stronger than the Weather Channel said.

13. AJTech47 Says:
    October 28th, 2008 at 12:44 am

    I lived in Isla Verde at the time. The condo next door the windows blew out and the furniture right behind it.After the whole ordeal there was no electricity,water etc.A beautiful flamboyan tree that was near Lloren torrens came down on La Baldorioty.When I saw the devastation I sat on the sidewalk to cry.I had never in my life gone through anything like this. I was sedated the rest of the day.next day we emptied our water bed for bathing and use the bathroom.I can survive anything now.God bless

14. mulletrun69 Says:
    October 28th, 2008 at 12:44 am

    The sound is what gives me the creeps. This is one hell of a video!

15. clairejcs Says:
    October 28th, 2008 at 12:44 am

    I was 6 and we lived in Charleston, SC. I remember the sound of the wind and hearing the trees snap all over the place. I also remember being really upset that the power was out, including my nightlight. I was afraid of the dark. We lost power for two weeks. It was unbelievable even at six years old. Everything was destroyed and I mean, everything!

16. huskylove18 Says:
    October 28th, 2008 at 12:44 am

    wow…I have always wanted to see what hugo looked like. I was born in 1987. so I was only like 2ish. my mother said I slept through it. I lived in NC. and I don’t know where it hit the worst at.

17. boricuangel92 Says:
    October 28th, 2008 at 12:44 am

    This was my first and last hurricane in PR. I was 14 and I remember my mom and I trying to hold the awning down through my grandmother’s broken window so the wind adn the flying aluminum signs wouldnt hit it. It was so scary…

18. mitergame47 Says:
    October 28th, 2008 at 12:44 am

    deverdad que este huracan para mi fue el mas fuerte de puerto rico yo estube i eso fue un mostro un verdadero mostro ….

19. boxings1st Says:
    October 28th, 2008 at 12:44 am

    I was 7 years old living in La Villa De Torimar (Guaynabo) when I went through this hurricane. My parents had me sleep in heir romm the night before and I really didn’t understand why. Next morning I woke up to the sound of srong whistling winds, it was scary. Later that day I was watching TV with my sisters when suddendly a Huge Glass Wall in our house exploded. The wind was so loud… My sisters and I ran to our rooms but it was so hard to close the doors. The hurricane lasted all day.

20. elrapto777 Says:
    October 28th, 2008 at 12:44 am

    I use to live in Luquillo and after the hurricane I remember looking at the mountains far out, part of el Yunque, and it looked all dried up like if it was burnt down. Hardly any trees standing, and those that were were leafless. And everything around us was damaged, it was an emotional scar. The most thing I remember is the strong wind sound and my ears hurting… I will never forget that!

21. elrapto777 Says:
    October 28th, 2008 at 12:44 am

    Georges might have been big… but as far as damage, Hugo is the winner. I’ve been through both.

22. iamilk Says:
    October 28th, 2008 at 12:44 am

    wow! O_O! that was intense… great video.
    I have scattered memories of hugo…I was 4 and living in yabucoa… palm trees moving like that are the strongest memories, hehe. weird…

23. Christiansito18 Says:
    October 28th, 2008 at 12:44 am

    I was born 20 days after that. My mom says that it was the most horrible experience she passed. The part were the person is in the building is super freaky!!!

24. cecilomar Says:
    October 28th, 2008 at 12:44 am

    I had 4 years and I remembear clearly… it give me the creeps! I was horrible! For me as a child…

25. frankdd11 Says:
    October 28th, 2008 at 12:44 am

    thats one impresive video! thanks from HATILLO, PUERTO RICO

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