100 years later, Miami museum exhibit looks back at devastating 1926 hurricane

MIAMI — A century after a devastating hurricane tore through Miami, a temporary museum exhibit is giving visitors a glimpse into what it was like to experience one of the most significant events in the city’s early history.

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“We’ve gone 100 years past what was one of the most monumental moments in early Miami history. This storm,” said Dr. Paul George, resident historian at the Museum of Miami.

The hurricane struck in mid-September 1926, bringing a 12-hour weather event with two storm phases that would kill hundreds of people and leave more than 40,000 homeless — nearly half of Miami’s population at the time.

George said the storm was devastating even when compared with Hurricane Andrew.

“Even Andrew, as bad as it was, it was in some ways much more spread out in terms of the areas that it hit,” George said.

The 1926 hurricane also destroyed Miami’s first building boom.

The temporary exhibit at the Museum of Miami, described as the city’s oldest cultural institution, uses photographs, newspapers, letters and other materials to tell the story of the storm and its impact.

“We have a huge collection of photographs, newspapers, letters, all that reflect the influence of this hurricane,” George said.

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The exhibit also includes an interactive component. Visitors can pick up phones and listen to accounts describing what it was like to live through the hurricane.

The storm struck long before modern weather technology, and most Miami residents did not know it was coming, leaving them without the ability to prepare.

George hopes the exhibit serves as more than a history lesson and reminds visitors of the dangers hurricanes can pose.

“I guess illuminate people further on how lethal these storms can be and how we need to be ready for them,” he said.

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The temporary exhibit will remain on display through April 11.