Hurricane Gilberto 1988

Gilberto the terrible hurricane of the 20th century

It is considered to be one of the most devastating cyclones on record in the Atlantic Ocean.

In Mexico, Gilberto lashed the states of Quintana Roo, Yucatán, Campeche, Nuevo León, Coahuila and Tamaulipas , causing the death of at least 250 people , and close to 150 thousand victims , as well as losses of 750 million dollars .

The hurricane known as the 20th century , was formed on September 8, 1988 as a tropical depression, during its movement through the Caribbean water It intensified into a Category 3 hurricane .

It struck the Island of Jamaica causing the death of 49 people , in addition to millionaire losses in infrastructure, as well as serious damage to crops

After leaving Jamaica, Gilberto quickly intensified again, reaching sustained winds of 296 km / h and made landfall again on September 14 in the Peninsula of Yucatan, being already a powerful Category 5 hurricane , being Cozumel the first affected, continuing its journey on land by Playa del Carmen, X-can, and Chemax , maintaining its same category 5 up to 85 kilometers inland .

It was until 3:30 p.m. that his intensity decreased to category 4 during his time at Tizimín . He left Yucatan at around 19:00 hours , leaving in his wake close to 35,000 victims , 60,000 homes destroyed and damages for more than $ 1 million .