Historical disasters

Grenada

Historical disasters in Grenada
Compiled by: C.J. van Westen

Last updated: 09-02-2016

This table below contains a list of historical disasters for Grenada. The table was compiled using different sources.

Table : Historical disaster events collected from different sources (NI = No Information). C = casualties. Shaded records are hurricane-related. Red records have landslides reported.

Year

Day

Events

Reported incidents

C


1822


01/12/1822


Earthquake


Magnitude 8 (Richter)?? probably Mercalli scale with great damage to buildings


 


1822


29/12/1822


Earthquake


Magnitude 7, Rock fall reported!


 


1831


04/12/1831


Earthquake


7 Richter (?) scale. St. George church bells rang


 


1834


25/11/1834


Earthquake


6 Richter (?) scale in North of the island. Cracks in buildings


 


1844


19/01/1844


Earthquake


7 Richter (?) scale. St George front wall of church guardroom partly collapsed


 


1846


06/09/1846


Earthquake


6 Richter (?) scale


 


1856


13/08/1856


Hurricane


H1


 


1877


22/09/1877


Hurricane


H1


 


1878


02/09/1878


Hurricane


H2, brushed the island


 


1885


13/11/1885


Earthquake


5 Richter (?) scale


 


1886


02/02/1886


Earthquake


5 Richter (?) scale


 


1886


16/08/1886


Hurricane


Hurricane  H2 brushed the island


 


1887


06/05/1887


Earthquake


5 Richter (?) scale


 


1887


20/07/1887


Tropical storm


Tropical storm


 


1888


09/01/1888


Earthquake


8 Richter (?) but probably Mercalli scale. In St George many stone buildings were severely damaged. Serious damage to churches


 


1889


06/09/1889


Heavy rainstorms


Severe flooding along the West coast as a result of heavy rainstorms. The Gouyave and St. Mark's River overflowed their banks and cause considerable damages, sweeping through the town of Gouyave and Victoria and tearing up the roads


 


1890


06/10/1990


Earthquake


5 Richter (?) scale


 


1891


12/10/1891


Tropical Storm


 


 


1892


17/02/1892


Earthquake


5 Richter (?) scale. It is indicated from 17/02/1892 to 18/03/1892, similarly as for 1893 in Dominica (same dates but different year). Probably a mistake


 


1892


07/10/1892


Tropical Storm


 


 


1894


?


Drought


 


 


1894


28/09/1984


Tropical Storm


Damage to farms and causeway. Flooding Persistent rainfall for 24 hours led to rivers overflowing their banks in the parish of St. Andrew's. Roads, bridges and crops were damaged


 


1895


15/10/1895


Tropical storm


Flooding


 


1896


26/11/1896


Earthquake


 


 


1896


15/11/1896


Heavy rain


Heavy rains resulted in damage to the river bank at Gouyave from overflowing streams.


 


1896


30/11/1896


Tropical storm


Flooding. The river embankment at Gouyave was seriously damaged by flood


 


1897


08/11/1897


Tropical Storm


Flooding. The fourth consecutive year in which destructive floods occurred in Grenada. On November 8th there were heavy rains in St. John's, flooding the Gouyave River and once more damaging the recently erected boulder bank and again on December 6th further damaging the boulder bank and destroying the stone bridge at the mouth of the Gouyave River


 


1898


?


Earthquake


 


 


1899


08/11/1899


Heavy rain


Heavy rain in St. John's caused the Gouyave River to overflow damaging boulder -bank.


 


1901


?


Drought


 


 


1901


05/07/1901


Heavy rain


Heavy rains resulted in damages to roads; and Dunfermline bridge


 


1901


20/08/1901


Tropical storm


 


 


1904


?


Severe drought


 


 


1905


?


Severe drought


 


 


1905


24/12/1905


Earthquake


5 Richter (?) scale. Possible rock fall occurrences


 


1905


07/09/1905


Tropical storm


Tropical storm brushed the island


 


1906


?


Earthquake


5 Richter (?) scale


 


1911


24/09/1911


Rainstorm


Severe storm resulting in heavy rains damaging the roads and cultivations in Gouyave and Concord


 


1915


?


Tropical storm


20-25 acres of cocoa damaged, 3 bridges and roads damaged. Reported as "most serious rain event in living memory"


 


1918


24/02/1918


Earthquake


5 Richter (?) scale


 


1918


01/08/1918


Tropical storm


 


 


1918


23/08/1918


Hurricane


H1


 


1921


?


Tropical storm


Heavy winds. Damage to cocoa. Houses destroyed. Electricity and roads damaged. Landslides and flooding


 


1924


21/05/1924


Earthquake


Magnitude 5. Severe and prolonged earthquake.


 


1928


03/08/1923


Tropical storm


 


 


1933


12/08/1933


Tropical storm


 


 


1933


17/08/1933


Tropical storm


 


 


1933


17/09/1933


Tropical storm


 


 


1938


10/08/1938


Tropical storm


 


 


1938


??/10/1938


Heavy rain


Unprecedented violent rain-storm resulted in the loss of 5 lives, widespread damage to cultivation, roads, bridges and telephone lines over the southern portion of the island. The main bridge over the St. John' river which led to the town of St. George's was completed destroyed.


5


1939


23/24/07/1939


Volcanic eruption and tsunami


An eruption of Kick 'em Jenny broke the sea surface, sending a cloud of steam and debris 275 m (902 ft) into the air and generating a series of tsunamis around two metres high when they reached the coastlines of northern Grenada


 


1944


24/07/1944


Tropical storm


Brushed the island


 


1946


04/10/1946


Rainstorms


Severe rainstorms in Grenada: 15 persons were killed in Victoria and 13 houses washed away


15


1954


07/10/1954


Hurricane Hazel


Several trees uprooted, houses blown down. Electricity and road damaged.


 


1954


04/12/1954


Earthquake


6 Richter (?) scale


 


1955


22/09/1955


Hurricane Janet


Hurricane Janet.  15 inches of rain in 9 hours. Very heavy wind and rain for 9 hours. 95% of nutmeg trees and coconut trees were uprooted. 120 persons killed. 6,000 dwellings totally destroyed. 20 out of 50 schools seriously damaged. Agricultural losses were immense, This was the most serious hurricane in a long time in Grenada. Landslides and flooding


120


1961


`20/07/1961


Tropical storm Anna


 


 


1963


24/09/1963


Hurricane Edith


Hurricane Edith. Minor repercussions. Most damage in St. Lucia.


 


1963


01/10/1963


Hurricane Flora


Hurricane Flora, airport, bridges and roads damaged. Estimated damage 20,000 Pound. Over a period of 4 months there was a reduction in the average monthly output of 25% (13,000 stems instead of 20,000 stems)


6


1970


 


Drought


Lack of rainfall for 5 months


 


1971


 


Drought


Lack of rainfall for 5 months


 


1972


 


Drought


Lack of rainfall for 6 months


 


1973


 


Drought


Lack of rainfall for 8  months


 


1974


 


Drought


Lack of rainfall for 5 months


 


1975


 


Drought


Lack of rainfall for 5 months


 


1975


30/09/1975


Tropical storm


Tropical Storm, causing 6 casualties


6


1975


??/11/1975


Heavy rain


Flooding caused US$4.7 million in losses


 


1978


11/08/1978


Tropical storm Cora


 


 


1979


 


 


Hurricane David


 


1980


04/08/1980


Storm


Hurricane Allen. 5.3 million US $ losses


 


1985


11/09/1985


Tropical depression


Unknown effects


 


1986


08/09/1986


Tropical storm Danielle


Brushed the island


 


1988


10/10/1988


Tropical storm Joan


Unknown effects


 


1990


25/07/1990


Tropical Storm Arthur


1000 people affected,


 


1991


?


Rock fall


in 1991 in the village of Cotton Bailey parish of St. John when a large boulder fell on a passenger bus, resulting in the loss of nine lives


9


1994


?


Drought


Lack of sufficient rainfall for 6-7 months. Tourism belt affected by lack of pipe borne water.


 


1995


 


Tropical storm Marilyn


 


 


1999


15/11/1999


Hurricane Lenny


210 people affected, 5.5 million US$ damage, 27% of GDP


 


2000


?


Tropical storm Joyce


 


 


2002


??/09/2002


Tropical storm Lili


 


 


2003


12/12/2003


Heavy rain


The St. John's River overflowed its banks causing damage to damage to private houses, vehicles, schools, commercial buildings, and the newly built National Stadium. Estimated cost of damage was EC$1.2M


 


2004


14/08/2004


Tropical Storm Earl


Tropical Storm Earl damaged at least 34 roofs and knocked down twelve trees and six electrical poles.


 


2004


07/09/2004


Hurricane Ivan


Hurricane Ivan. 39 Casualties, 81,553 people affected out of the total population of 102,632 and losses over 889 million US $. 27,735 out of the total of 31,122 houses were damaged.


The major disaster that has hit Grenada in the last century.


39


2005


04/07/2005


Tropical despression


Unknown effects


 


2005


13/07/2005


Hurricane Emily


Hurricane Emily.  1 casualty in St. Patrick North. 1,660 persons in shelters in Grenada and Carriacou. 16 houses were destroyed and well over 200 more were damaged, and two of the main hospitals were flooded.[3] The estimated damage from Emily in Grenada was USD $110 million.


1


2007


31/08/2007


Tropical storm Felix


Hurricane Felis. Unknown effects


 


2009


29/07/2009


Landslide


obstruction to the flow of traffic in Parade, St Paul's close to Andall's Supermarket due to a landslide


 


2009-2010


 


 


Severe drought.  In 2009 a 24 year lowest annual rain fall total recorded. 17% decline in banana production.


 


2011


12/04/2011


Flooding and landslide


Numerous reports of flooded houses, landslides, road blockages, sunken boats and destroyed houses. In Gouyave, one house was destroyed by the violent river, which overflowed its bank. Road access from Waltham St. Mark to Victoria has been blocked. Also, the Balthazar bridge has been flooded as well. In Clozier, St. John, access to Gouyave has been cut off due to a land slide. 11 boats have sunk sink in Victoria, St. Mark. Five major landslips in Gouyave, with about three houses lost along the river and other properties flooded. However, there are no reports of loss of lives. Rains have affected other parts of the island, including South West and North West St. Andrew, resulting in rising water levels in some rivers and landslides in the Grand Etang area. Estimated cost of damage ECD 11.2M


 


2011


29/11/2011


Landslide and Flooding


Flooding occurred in several places. The town of Grenville was worst hit. There have also been reports of several landslides within the vicinity. In view of the flooding, all schools within the Parish were closed.


 


2012


20/04/2012


Landslide


A landslide that took place in the parish of St. Mark. The Balthazar Bridge which was flooded making it un-motor able.


 


2012


??/01/2012


Earthquake


3.5 Magnitude on Richter scale


 


2012


??/02/2012


Earthquake


4 Magnitude on Richter scale


 


2013


 


Earthquake


4.8 Magnitude on Richter scale


 


2014


 


Earthquake


4 Magnitude on Richter scale


 


2014


21/09/2014


Landslide


A landslide has deposited large rocks at the exit of the Sendall tunnel Sunday night, making it impassable to vehicular traffic. There were also reports of flooding in the south of the island


 


2014


23/10/2014


Flood


Sendall tunnel closed due to flooding. Several flooding has also been reported in areas such as Balthazar Bridge and parts of the town of Grenville, affecting Ben Jones and George Patterson streets


 


2015


05/11/2015


Landslide


Heavy rain caused landslide in Hope, St. Andrews, where a retaining wall collapsed on a car, killing one person


1