Remembering the 1988 Wrath of Hurricane Gilbert

Hurricane Gilbert struck Jamaica during the afternoon of Sept. 12, 1988, and left a tremendous path of destruction across the island nation.

Gilbert plowed from west to east across the island and unleashed up to 2.5 feet of rain, a storm surge to nearly 20 feet and winds up to 140 mph.

Dozens of people lost their lives during the storm, which took less than a day to navigate across the island.

Damage reached at least $4 billion and included flattened crops, destroyed roads and demolished homes and businesses from the hurricane's wind, storm surge and torrential rainfall.

Gilbert was the most destructive storm in the history of Jamaica and went on to become one of the most intense hurricanes in the Atlantic Basin.

Aircraft recorded maximum flight-level winds of 185 mph as it passed near the Cayman Islands on Sept. 13.

Total lives lost during Gilbert's wrath through the Caribbean and the southwestern Gulf of Mexico topped 400 with damage exceeding $7 billion in 1988 dollars.

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