1926 Hurricane

Flooded West Flagler Street after the hurricane struck Miami on Sept. 17, 1926. The tide south of the Miami River rose nearly 12 feet.

"After the storm (of 1926), a soup kitchen was opened by the Ryan Building. FPL aided in every way they could to help the unfortunate. Two days after the storm, I did a little welfare work and saw unfortunates in dire need. They had no place to live or anything. I was lucky, I had a room at the ‘Y’ on Northeast Third Avenue. At that time, they needed people to help in the outlying area ... the area was under military law and I worked there for two weeks. The devastation I saw there – buildings, corpses of people and cattle – will never leave my memory."

Adrian Banks, payroll clerk, Miami, 1926

Wreckage at a Miami boat yard depicts the devastation Miami residents faced after the infamous hurricane of 1926. As people began to pick up the pieces of their lives, signs appeared like the one pictured on this rooftop: "We are still here. Let's go!"

Restoration work began immediately after the 1926 hurricane subsided, using primitive methods and equipment and safety standards that were a far cry from work practices used in the 1990s. Despite the differences, FPL employees were as dedicated to service restoration then as they were after Hurricane Andrew. Work crews made their way to Miami over flooded, pitted roads, and many employees got their start with FPL in those hectic days. "Just jump on the truck," was the word to any able-bodied person who asked for work.

Photo courtesy of the Historical Museum of Southern Florida

These are the remains of a devastated building in downtown Miami. Within several days, electric power had been restored to a few of the most important points downtown including Jackson Memorial Hospital and the McAlister Hotel, which was used as an emergency hospital.

"We are rebuilding in a few days what it originally took years to build. We have plenty of power and are concentrating our efforts in strengthening the internal service so that Miami and its neighboring cities will be ready to accommodate visitors."

- H.H. Hyman, FPL district manager, The Miami Herald, Oct. 2, 1926

The wrath of the storm left thousands of poles snapped like matchsticks, a gigantic tangle of wire, flooded power plants and 55,000 stunned South Florida customers in darkness. In spite of widespread and extensive power outages due to the 1926 hurricane, FPL heroes reacted quickly to the disaster.