View source for Hurricane Hugo

{{Short description|Category 5 Atlantic hurricane in 1989}}
{{Other storms|List of storms named Hugo}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2013}}
{{Infobox weather event
| image = Hugo 1989-09-15 2000Z.png
| caption = Hugo at peak intensity east of the [[Lesser Antilles]] on September&nbsp;15
| alt = Satellite image of the hurricane featuring a pinhole eye
| formed = {{start date|1989|09|10}}
| extratropical = September 23, 1989
| dissipated = {{end date|1989|09|25}}
}}{{Infobox weather event/NWS
| winds = 140
| pressure = 918
}}{{Infobox weather event/Effects
| year = 1989
| fatalities = 107 (67 direct, 40 indirect)
| damage = 11000000000
| areas = {{flatlist|
*[[Cape Verde]]
*[[Lesser Antilles]] (particularly [[Guadeloupe]], [[Montserrat]], and the [[Virgin Islands]])
*[[Puerto Rico]]
*[[Dominican Republic]]
*[[East Coast of the United States]] (particularly [[The Carolinas]])
*[[Atlantic Canada]]
*Southern [[Greenland]]
}}
| refs = 
}}{{Infobox weather event/Footer
| season = [[1989 Atlantic hurricane season]]
}}

'''Hurricane Hugo''' was a powerful [[tropical cyclone]] that inflicted widespread destruction across the northeastern [[Caribbean]] and the [[Southeastern United States]] in September 1989. The eleventh [[tropical cyclone]], eighth [[Tropical cyclone naming|named storm]], sixth hurricane, and second [[major hurricane]]{{efn|A major hurricane is a storm that ranks as Category 3 or higher on the [[Saffir–Simpson hurricane scale]].<ref name=BASIC>{{cite book|last1=Goldenburg|first1=Stan|chapter=A3) What is a super-typhoon? What is a major hurricane? What is an intense hurricane?|type=FAQ|title=Frequently Asked Questions|url=http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/tcfaq/tcfaqHED.html|chapter-url=http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/tcfaq/A3.html|date=June 1, 2018|publisher=[[Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory]]|access-date=August 2, 2019|version=4.11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060615212545/http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/tcfaq/tcfaqHED.html|archive-date=June 15, 2006|url-status=live}}</ref>}} of the [[1989 Atlantic hurricane season]], Hugo arose from a cluster of [[thunderstorms]] near [[Cape Verde]] on September 10, 1989. This cluster coalesced into a [[tropical depression]] and strengthened into Tropical Storm Hugo as it tracked west across the Atlantic Ocean for several days. On September&nbsp;13, Hugo became a hurricane and continued to intensify through September&nbsp;15 when its [[maximum sustained wind|sustained winds]] peaked at {{cvt|160|mph|km/h|round=5}}, making it a Category 5 hurricane on the [[Saffir–Simpson scale]]. Between September&nbsp;17 and&nbsp;21, Hugo made [[landfall]] on [[Guadeloupe]], [[Saint Croix]], [[Puerto Rico]], and lastly [[South Carolina]], with major hurricane strength winds. The storm weakened inland and accelerated north over the [[Eastern United States]], transitioning into an [[extratropical cyclone]] on September&nbsp;23 before it was last noted in the far northern Atlantic on September&nbsp;25.

Hugo left extensive damage in its wake, causing 67&nbsp;deaths and $11&nbsp;billion (equivalent to ${{Inflation|US|11|1989}}&nbsp;billion in {{Inflation/year|US}}) in damage, which at the time, made it the costliest hurricane on record.{{efn|The death and damage tolls are aggregated from different sources focusing on individual areas. Some sources provide disparate fatality figures;<ref name="HugoILM" /> the National Hurricane Center preliminary report on Hugo reported 49&nbsp;deaths. At least another 31 people were killed before or after the storm's passage.{{sfn|"Storm Data"|p=54}}<ref name="CD_SC" /><ref name="CaribbeanIslandsCautious" /><ref name="HugoKills9Closes" />{{rp|5A}} The National Weather Service in Wilmington, North Carolina, reports 86&nbsp;total deaths in connection with Hugo.<ref name="HugoILM" />|name=nb-deaths}} Guadeloupe bore the brunt of the storm in the [[Leeward Islands]]. Three thousand houses were unroofed, contributing to the displacement of 35,000&nbsp;people from their homes. Hugo was [[Montserrat]]'s costliest hurricane on record and brought down the island's entire power grid. Ninety percent of homes on the island suffered significant to total roof loss after the island was struck by the [[eyewall]]. The hurricane's impacts continued into the [[Virgin Islands]] and Puerto Rico, causing over $1&nbsp;billion in damage. Wind gusts up to {{cvt|168|mph|km/h}} were measured in Saint Croix, where property damage exceeded $500&nbsp;million with over 90&nbsp;percent of buildings damaged; three people were killed on the island. Widespread damage occurred in Puerto Rico and much of the island suffered power and water service failures. Eight people were killed in Puerto Rico and nearly 28,000&nbsp;people were left homeless. In the mainland United States, [[South Carolina Lowcountry|coastal South Carolina]] was hit by record setting [[storm surge]] heights, reaching {{cvt|20.2|ft|m}} near [[McClellanville, South Carolina|McClellanville]]. The surge and strong winds wrought extensive damage to buildings and infrastructure across South Carolina, and caused 13 deaths. Flood and wind impacts followed Hugo across much of the Eastern United States into [[Eastern Canada]].

There were widespread and significant agricultural impacts from Hugo. Guadeloupe sustained damage to the entirety of its banana crop and most of its coconut palms and sugar cane crop. Habitat loss caused bat populations in [[Montserrat]] to fall 20-fold, while the populations of several endemic bird species declined or were disrupted across the eastern Caribbean. Coastal bird populations in South Carolina were forced {{cvt|200|mi|km|round=5}} inland. Additionally, forests between South Carolina and [[Virginia]] were heavily damaged; in South Carolina alone the loss of timber was estimated at $1.04&nbsp;billion.

Hugo was the strongest hurricane to strike the northeastern Caribbean since [[Hurricane David]] in 1979, and the strongest to make landfall on the [[continental U.S.]] since [[Hurricane Camille]] in 1969. The scale of the hurricane's impacts led to the [[list of retired Atlantic hurricanes|retirement]] of the name ''Hugo'' from the Atlantic tropical cyclone name list.

== Meteorological history ==
{{storm path|Hugo 1989 path.png|alt=The path of Hurricane Hugo|colors=new}}
Hurricane Hugo was a [[Cape Verde hurricane]] that developed from a cluster of [[thunderstorm]]s associated with a [[tropical wave]] first observed moving off the coast of Africa on September&nbsp;9, near [[Cape Verde]].<ref name="Lawrence">{{cite report |last1=Lawrence |first1=Miles B. |title=Hurricane Hugo |type=Preliminary Report |url=https://www.weather.gov/media/ilm/climate/Hugo/NHC_report_Hugo.pdf |via=National Weather Service |publisher=National Hurricane Center |access-date=April 10, 2020 |location=Miami, Florida |date=November 15, 1989 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180911204403/https://www.weather.gov/media/ilm/climate/Hugo/NHC_report_Hugo.pdf |archive-date=September 11, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> (part of that same wave would later spawn [[Hurricane Raymond (1989)|Hurricane Raymond]] in the [[Pacific hurricane|eastern Pacific]]).<ref name="EP1989">{{cite journal |last1=Lawrence |first1=Miles B. |title=Eastern North Pacific Hurricane Season of 1989 |journal=Monthly Weather Review |date=May 1990 |volume=118 |issue=5 |pages=1186–1193 |doi=10.1175/1520-0493(1990)118<1186:ENPHSO>2.0.CO;2 |publisher=American Meteorological Society |location=Boston, Massachusetts|bibcode=1990MWRv..118.1186L |doi-access=free}}</ref> A [[tropical depression]] developed from this disturbance roughly {{cvt|125|mi|km|round=5}} south of Cape Verde the following day.<ref name="Brennan">{{cite journal|last1=Brennan|first1=James W. |title=Meteorological Summary of Hurricane Hugo |journal=Journal of Coastal Research |date=1991 |volume=7 |issue=2 |pages=1–12 |publisher=Coastal Education & Research Foundation, Inc. |jstor=25735403 |issn=0749-0208}}</ref> The nascent cyclone intensified as it tracked west along the [[12th parallel north]] and across the [[Tropical Atlantic|tropical Atlantic Ocean]], reaching [[tropical storm]] strength on September&nbsp;11, and [[hurricane]] strength on September&nbsp;13, while located about {{cvt|1,100|nmi|mi km|order=out|round=5}} east of the [[Leeward Islands]]. The presence of another [[low-pressure area|area of low-pressure]] north of [[Puerto Rico]] produced a gap in the [[Azores High]], causing Hugo to then gradually turn towards the west-northwest with its forward speed decelerating.<ref name="Lawrence" />

[[File:Hugo 1989-09-15 1231Z.png|thumb|upright=.90|Hurricane Hugo approaching Category&nbsp;5 strength on September&nbsp;15]]
At 18:00&nbsp;[[Coordinated Universal Time|UTC]] on September 15, the first [[Hurricane Hunters|aircraft reconnaissance]] mission to probe Hugo reported that it had intensified to a [[List of Category 5 Atlantic hurricanes|Category&nbsp;5 hurricane]] with maximum sustained winds of {{cvt|140|kn|mph km/h|order=out|round=5}} and a minimum central [[barometric pressure]] of {{cvt|918|mbar|inHg|order=out|comma=off|sigfig=4}}, which turned out to be its peak intensity.<ref name="Lawrence" /> Still several hundred miles east of the Leeward Islands at the time, this made Hugo the easternmost Category&nbsp;5 hurricane on record in the Atlantic.{{efn|This record was eclipsed by [[Hurricane Lorenzo (2019)|Hurricane Lorenzo]] in 2019.<ref name="Lorenzo"/>}}<ref name="Lorenzo">{{cite news |title=Hurricane Lorenzo Became the Strongest on Record in the Eastern Atlantic, Then Struck the Azores |url=https://weather.com/safety/hurricane/news/2019-10-04-hurricane-lorenzo-category-5-east-atlantic-azores-ireland-remnant |access-date=April 10, 2020 |work=The Weather Channel |publisher=TWC Product and Technology LLC |date=October 4, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200324035524/https://weather.com/safety/hurricane/news/2019-10-04-hurricane-lorenzo-category-5-east-atlantic-azores-ireland-remnant |archive-date=March 24, 2020 |url-status=live }}</ref> Its winds tapered as it approached the [[Caribbean]]; at 05:00&nbsp;UTC on September 17, Hugo's eye passed over [[Guadeloupe]] with sustained winds of {{cvt|120|kn|mph km/h|order=out|round=5}}. The next day, the hurricane made three landfalls, first on [[Saint Croix]] in the [[U.S. Virgin Islands]], with sustained winds of {{cvt|120|kn|mph km/h|order=out|round=5}}, followed by [[Vieques]] and [[Fajardo, Puerto Rico|Fajardo]] in [[Puerto Rico]], with sustained winds of {{cvt|110|kn|mph km/h|order=out|round=5}} in each instance.<ref name="Lawrence" />

Hugo's encounter with Puerto Rico weakened the storm substantially, its [[eye (cyclone)|eye]] became ill-defined in satellite imagery and its winds had diminished to around {{cvt|90|kn|mph km/h|order=out|round=5}} by 06:00&nbsp;UTC on September&nbsp;19. However, the hurricane's return to open waters provided suitable conditions for reintensification.<ref name="Lawrence" /><ref name="Brennan" /> By this juncture, the broader weather patterns that steered Hugo had changed: the Azores High became a dominant influence north of the hurricane and an [[upper-level low]] emerged over [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]].<ref name="Lawrence" /> These two features generated a strong southeasterly [[tropical cyclone#Environmental steering|steering flow]] within which Hugo was contained, shaping its trajectory towards the [[Southeastern United States]]. As the hurricane accelerated away from Puerto Rico at about {{cvt|12|kn|mph km/h|order=out}}, it became better organized and its eye became increasingly well defined.<ref name="Brennan" /> On September 21, Hugo passed over the [[Gulf Stream]] and intensified markedly over a period of 30 hours, re-strengthening to a Category&nbsp;4 hurricane.<ref name="Lawrence" /><ref name="Brennan" /> At 04:00&nbsp;UTC on September&nbsp;22, Hugo made its last landfall on [[Sullivan's Island, South Carolina]], with sustained winds of {{cvt|120|kn|mph km/h|order=out|round=5}}. Hugo's forward motion was beginning to accelerate northward at the time in response to an [[extratropical cyclone]] moving across the central U.S., and this curvature and acceleration continued as Hugo moved farther inland.<ref name="Lawrence" /> The intensity of the winds decreased after landfall, particularly as Hugo began interacting with the [[Appalachian Mountains]]; by dawn on September 22, Hugo was downgraded to a tropical storm when it was just west of [[Charlotte, North Carolina]].<ref name="Lawrence" /><ref name="Brennan" /> The next day, it [[extratropical transition|transitioned]] into an extratropical storm near [[Erie, Pennsylvania]], and continued across [[eastern Canada]], eventually moving into the far northern Atlantic where it was last noted on September&nbsp;25.<ref name="Lawrence" />

=== Reconnaissance flight N42RF ===
Between September 15 and September 22, aircraft from the [[53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron|U.S. Air Force]] (USAF) and [[NOAA Hurricane Hunters|National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]] (NOAA) penetrated the eye of Hugo 76&nbsp;times, documenting the location of the storm's center roughly once every two hours.<ref name="Lawrence" /> Among these planes was a [[Lockheed WP-3D Orion|WP-3D Orion]] serviced by the NOAA and nicknamed ''Kermit'' ([[callsign]] ''N42RF'').<ref name="NOAAAircraftImage4" /><ref name="Marks" /> It had been deployed to [[Barbados]] alongside another WP-3D Orion as part of a research experiment coordinated by the [[Hurricane Research Division]].<ref name="Marks" /> While penetrating the storm at an altitude of {{cvt|1500|ft|m}}, the plane encountered extreme [[turbulence]] and sustained winds of {{cvt|190|mph|km/h}}, indicating a storm more intense than [[Dvorak technique|satellite estimates]] suggested.{{sfn|National Research Council|p=155}} Flight data showed that the plane likely encountered a [[mesovortices#eyewall mesovortices|mesovortex]] comparable to a weak [[tornado]] spanning a kilometer across.<ref name="Marks" /><ref name="Dorst">{{cite journal|last1=Dorst|first1=Neal M. |title=The National Hurricane Research Project: 50 Years of Research, Rough Rides, and Name Changes |journal=Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society |date=October 2007 |volume=88 |issue=10 |page=1582 |doi=10.1175/BAMS-88-10-1566 |publisher=American Meteorological Society |location=Boston, Massachusetts|bibcode=2007BAMS...88.1566D |doi-access=free}}</ref> One of ''Kermit''{{'s}} four engines overheated within the hurricane's [[eyewall]], prompting its shutdown that caused the plane to quickly lose altitude as it entered the eye. The pilots regained control when the plane reached an altitude of {{cvt|790|ft|m}} at 17:28&nbsp;UTC.<ref name="Marks" /><ref name="NOAAAircraftImage4">{{cite web |title=NOAA Aircraft: Image 4 |url=https://celebrating200years.noaa.gov/foundations/aircraft/image4.html |website=NOAA Celebrates 200 Years of Science, Service, and Stewardship |publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |access-date=April 10, 2020 |date=May 12, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161211074311/http://celebrating200years.noaa.gov/foundations/aircraft/image4.html |archive-date=December 11, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> To avoid overworking the three remaining engines, the pilots orbited the center of Hugo for an hour within the {{convert|9|mi|km|adj=mid|-wide|abbr=off|sp=us}} eye while bringing the plane to a gradual ascent. Fuel was also [[fuel dumping|ejected]] from ''Kermit''{{'s}} lower fuselage. The plane climbed to an altitude of {{convert|7,200|ft|m|abbr=on}} before departing the eye via the northeast eyewall and returning to [[Grantley Adams International Airport]] in Barbados.<ref name="Marks">{{cite journal|last1=Marks|first1=Frank D. |last2=Black |first2=Peter G. |last3=Montgomery |first3=Michael T. |last4=Burpee |first4=Robert W. |title=Structure of the Eye and Eyewall of Hurricane Hugo (1989) |journal=Monthly Weather Review |date=April 2008 |volume=136 |issue=4 |pages=1237–1259 |doi=10.1175/2007MWR2073.1 |publisher=American Meteorological Society |location=Boston, Massachusetts|bibcode=2008MWRv..136.1237M |s2cid=52062413|doi-access=free |hdl=10945/36915 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>

== Preparations ==
=== Watches and warnings ===
In the northeastern Caribbean, warnings issued by the NHC were disseminated by the six meteorological offices of the Caribbean Meteorological Council.{{sfn|Berke and Wenger|p=14}} The first [[hurricane watch]] was issued by the NHC at 09:00&nbsp;UTC on September 15, covering much of the Lesser Antilles from [[Saint Lucia]] northward to the [[British Virgin Islands]]. The watch was escalated to a [[hurricane force wind warning|hurricane warning]] three hours later. Concurrent watches and warnings for [[tropical storm warning|tropical storm conditions]] were in effect for [[Saint Vincent (Antilles)|Saint Vincent]] and [[Barbados]]. These initial alerts were discontinued following the storm's passage by September 18. A hurricane watch was issued for Puerto Rico and the [[U.S. Virgin Islands]] on September 15; this was superseded by a hurricane warning the following day that in turn was lifted on September 19. As Hugo tracked northwest across the [[Sargasso Sea]] between September 19 and 20, tropical storm warnings were issued for coastal areas of the [[Dominican Republic]] and [[The Bahamas]]. The NHC first issued hurricane watches for portions of the [[East Coast of the United States]] on September 20, escalating to a hurricane warning for some coastal areas on September 21. The coverage of these watches and warnings were incrementally revised leading up to Hugo's final landfall; at their greatest extent, hurricane watches were in effect between [[St. Augustine, Florida]], and the [[Chesapeake Bay]], while hurricane warnings were in effect between [[Fernandina Beach, Florida]], and [[Oregon Inlet]] in [[North Carolina]]. All [[tropical cyclone watches and warnings]] were discontinued by 16:00&nbsp;UTC on September 22.<ref name="Lawrence" />

=== Caribbean ===
[[Barbados]] served as a staging area for disaster response in the Caribbean due to its strategic position in the region and distance away from Hugo's forecast impacts.<ref name="HugoClosesIn">{{cite news |title=Powerful Hugo closes in on Caribbean |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52323003/|via=Newspapers.com |access-date=May 28, 2020 |work=The Clarion-Ledger |date=September 16, 1989 |page=6A}}</ref> Several relief agencies had convened in Barbados earlier in 1989 to coordinate hurricane response plans. These agencies were mobilized ahead of Hugo's arrival in the Lesser Antilles. They were joined by additional teams from the [[United States Agency for International Development]] and the U.S. [[Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance]] (OFDA). Additional relief teams from the OFDA, [[Pan American Health Organization]], [[International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement|Red Cross]], and [[United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs|United Nations Office of the United Nations Disaster Relief Coordinator]] were pre-positioned in [[Antigua]] to survey the damage and prioritize aid in Hugo's aftermath.<ref name="HorribleHugo">{{cite web |title="Horrible" Hugo|series=Caribbean Disaster News|issue=19 |url=http://cidbimena.desastres.hn/docum/crid/Septiembre2007/CD1/pdf/eng/doc12045/doc12045-portada.pdf |website=Centro de Información Sobre Desastres Y Salud |publisher=United Nations Office of the United Nations Disaster Relief Coordinator |access-date=April 26, 2020 |date=September 1989|location=Geneva, Switzerland}}
*[http://cidbimena.desastres.hn/docum/crid/Septiembre2007/CD1/pdf/eng/doc12045/doc12045-portada.pdf p. 1]
*[http://cidbimena.desastres.hn/docum/crid/Septiembre2007/CD1/pdf/eng/doc12045/doc12045-1.pdf pp. 2-8]
*[http://cidbimena.desastres.hn/docum/crid/Septiembre2007/CD1/pdf/eng/doc12045/doc12045-2.pdf pp. 9-13]
*[http://cidbimena.desastres.hn/docum/crid/Septiembre2007/CD1/pdf/eng/doc12045/doc12045-3.pdf pp. 14-20]
</ref>{{rp|1}} The government of Dominica urged its citizens to take emergency precautions. The Dominican Ministry of Public Works prepositioned [[earthmoving equipment]] around Dominica to clear landslide debris. A curfew in Guadeloupe mandating that streets be clear of pedestrians and vehicles came into effect at 6&nbsp;p.m. AST on September 17. Leading up to the curfew, residents rushed hardware stores and supermarkets to stock up on supplies. Many on the Atlantic-facing side of Guadeloupe evacuated farther inland.<ref name="CaribbeanIslandsCautious" /> [[Cable television]] played a significant role in keeping residents of Martinique updated on the hurricane's approach.{{sfn|Berke and Wenger|p=14}} Though no formal evacuation order was enacted for Martinique, the [[List of colonial and departmental heads of Martinique|prefect of Martinique]] recommended the evacuation of the low-lying Kinsale area on September 16. Twenty-four evacuation shelters were opened throughout the island.{{sfn|Berke and Wenger|p=17}} Disaster preparedness plans were set into motion by Martinique's government ministries, dispatching crews to board windows and secure buildings.{{sfn|Berke and Wenger|p=18–19}} [[Air France]] cancelled its three [[Martinique]]-bound flights from Paris scheduled for September 18;<ref name="CaribbeanIslandsCautious" /> flights to the Lesser Antilles were largely cancelled by the afternoon of September 16. Most buildings in Antigua were shuttered by noon on September 17 and all local ships were brought to their moorings. [[V. C. Bird International Airport]] closed and the island's electric grid was turned off.<ref name="CaribbeanIslandsCautious">{{cite news |last1=Glass |first1=Robert |title=Caribbean islands cautious of Hugo |url=https://www.thestate.com/news/weather-news/article235141262.html |access-date=April 19, 2020 |work=The State |agency=Associated Press |date=September 17, 1989 |location=San Juan, Puerto Rico}} {{subscription required}}</ref><ref name="Batters140">{{cite news |last1=Doig |first1=Stephen K. |title=Hugo batters islands with 140-mph winds |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52323524/|via=Newspapers.com |access-date=May 28, 2020 |work=The Miami Herald |date=September 17, 1989 |location=Miami, Florida |page=20A}}</ref>

At least 30,000&nbsp;people evacuated in Puerto Rico, making it one of the largest evacuations in the territory's history; government and media representatives described the evacuation as "the best coordinated weather event they could recall."{{sfn|NOAA|p=9}}{{sfn|NOAA|p=53}} Three thousand people evacuated from southeastern Puerto Rico and five thousand evacuated from San Juan neighborhoods.<ref name="KillsSixRoarsOn">{{cite news |last1=Prendergast |first1=Mark J. |title=Hurricane kills six & roars on |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52414750/|via=Newspapers.com |access-date=May 29, 2020 |work=Daily News |date=September 18, 1989 |location=New York, New York |page=3}}</ref> However, many were initially reluctant to leave.<ref name="SlowToPrepare">{{cite news |last1=Harrison |first1=Carlos |title=Some Puerto Ricans slow to prepare for hurricane's possible destruction |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52414474/|via=Newspapers.com |access-date=May 29, 2020 |work=Miami Herald |date=September 18, 1989 |location=Miami, Florida |page=12A}}</ref> [[La Perla, San Juan, Puerto Rico|La Perla]] was evacuated for the first time in living memory.{{sfn|NOAA|pp=16–17}} Hundreds of evacuees were brought to a stadium in [[Mayagüez]].<ref name="HugoTakesAimPuertoRico" /> The [[Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport]] terminated all scheduled flights at 6&nbsp;p.m. AST on September 17. All international airlines evacuated their aircraft from Puerto Rico, though one [[Airbus A300]] owned by [[American Airlines]] was left behind for emergency use.<ref name="HugoTakesAimPuertoRico" /> Tourists left en masse on departing flights before the airport terminated operations.<ref name="UnsettlesThousands">{{cite news |last1=Lassiter |first1=Tom |title=Hurricane kills 6, unsettles thousands |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52415065/|via=Newspapers.com |access-date=May 29, 2020 |work=Sun-Sentinel |date=September 18, 1989 |location=Fort Lauderdale, Florida |page=4A}}</ref>  [[Cruise ships]] with [[San Juan, Puerto Rico|San Juan]] as their [[Port#Port of call|port of call]] were rerouted elsewhere. One person was killed in [[Utuado, Puerto Rico]], after being electrocuted by a power line while preparing for the storm.<ref name="HugoTakesAimPuertoRico" /><ref name="HugoKills9Closes">{{cite news |title=Hugo Kills 9 As It Closes In On Puerto Rico |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/50588129/|via=Newspapers.com |access-date=May 9, 2020 |work=The Atlanta Constitution |agency=Associated Press |date=September 18, 1989 |location=Atlanta, Georgia|pages=A1, A5}}
*[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/50588129/ p. A1]
*[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/50588409/ p. A5]</ref>{{rp|A5}} On September 18, Puerto Rican Governor [[Rafael Hernández Colón]] ordered a shutdown of the island's electric grid to mitigate damage.{{sfn|National Research Council|pp=115–129}} A [[state of emergency]] was declared in the [[Dominican Republic]] on September 18.<ref name="RagingWindsDevastatePuertoRico">{{cite news |last1=Borenstein|first1=Seth|last2=Lunan|first2=Charles|last3=Melvin|first3=Don|title=Hugo's raging winds devastate Puerto Rico |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/13570337/|via=Newspapers.com |access-date=May 28, 2020 |work=Fort Lauderdale News |date=September 19, 1989 |location=Fort Lauderdale, Florida |pages=1A, 4A}}
*[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/13570337/ p. 1A]
*[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52364265/ p. 4A]</ref>{{rp|1A}}

Buildings were boarded up in [[Nassau, Bahamas]], and classes were cancelled at The College of The Bahamas on September 18.<ref name="LandfallExpectedFriday">{{cite news |last1=Kleinberg |first1=Eliot |last2=Woody |first2=Todd |title=Landfall expected Friday |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52522723/|via=Newspapers.com |access-date=May 31, 2020 |work=The Palm Beach Post |date=September 20, 1989 |location=West Palm Beach, Florida}}</ref>

=== Continental United States ===
[[File:Hugo 1989-09-21 1900Z.png|thumb|Satellite image of Hugo approaching [[South Carolina]] as a Category 4 hurricane on September 21]]
After Hugo departed the Caribbean, officials in [[South Florida]] convened on September 18 to discuss emergency preparedness plans, and some residents began to gather supplies.<ref name="RagingWindsDevastatePuertoRico" />{{rp|1A}} NHC director [[Bob Sheets]] stated that if Hugo were to reach the United States, it could move ashore "anywhere from the Florida Keys to North Carolina."<ref name="RagingWindsDevastatePuertoRico" />{{rp|4A}} [[NASA]] delayed the September 22 launch of an [[Atlas-Centaur]] rocket with Hugo looming.<ref name="DontJumpGunStayTuned">{{cite news |last1=Bell |first1=Maya |last2=Glisch |first2=John J. |title=Don't jump gun but stay tuned, Floridians told |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52471625/|via=Newspapers.com |work=The Orlando Sentinel |date=September 19, 1989 |location=Orlando, Florida |page=A-4}}</ref> Boats were moved from coastal marinas to more protected harbors inland near [[St. Simons, Georgia]].<ref name="HugoTargetsUS">{{cite news |last1=Davis |first1=Jingle |title=Hugo Targets U.S., but Where? |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52762951/|via=Newspapers.com |access-date=June 4, 2020 |work=The Atlanta Constitution |date=September 20, 1989 |location=Atlanta, Georgia |pages=A1, A11}}
*[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52762951/ p. A1]
*[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52763979/ p. A11]</ref>{{rp|A1}} The American Red Cross readied 58&nbsp;shelters in [[Miami, Florida]], and 23&nbsp;shelters in [[Fort Lauderdale, Florida]].<ref name="HugoTargetsUS" />{{rp|A11}} Equipment was prepositioned throughout [[Myrtle Beach, South Carolina]], to expedite cleanup operations.<ref name="CoastalResidentsWeary">{{cite news |title=Coastal residents keep weary eye on Hugo |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52764648/|via=Newspapers.com |access-date=June 4, 2020 |work=The Index-Journal |agency=Associated Press |issue=195 |date=September 20, 1989 |location=Greenwood, South Carolina |page=2}}</ref> The mayor of Charleston, [[Joseph P. Riley Jr.]], called Hugo "an extraordinarily dangerous event, [...] the likes of which few people who have lived all their lives in Charleston have experienced."<ref name="HistoricCharlestonSeptemberGale">{{cite news |title=Historic Charleston ready for 'September gale' Hugo |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52771765/|via=Newspapers.com |access-date=June 4, 2020 |work=The Index-Journal |agency=Associated Press |issue=196 |date=September 21, 1989 |location=Greenwood, South Carolina |page=11}}</ref> Twenty U.S. Navy ships and submarines were moved out of Charleston to weather the storm at sea.<ref name="CouldStrikeLandTonight" />{{rp|A7}} The New Georgia Railroad between Atlanta and Savannah, Georgia, halted operations, affecting 400&nbsp;passengers.<ref name="TrainStuckAtlantaStation">{{cite news |title=Train Jaunt to Savannah Stuck at Atlanta Station |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52770936/|via=Newspapers.com |access-date=June 4, 2020 |work=The Atlanta Constitution |date=September 21, 1989 |location=Atlanta, Georgia |page=A6}}</ref>

The hurricane watch for [[the Carolinas]] was issued 30&nbsp;hours before Hugo's landfall.{{sfn|NOAA|pp=16–17}} [[Charleston County, South Carolina]], officials began recommending evacuations on the evening of September 20; this was later changed to an evacuation order.<ref name="Baker">{{cite report|last1=Baker |first1=Earl J. |title=Evacuation decision making and public response in Hurricane Hugo in South Carolina |url=https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1033&context=fmhi_pub|via=Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute, University of South Florida Scholar Commons |publisher=Natural Hazards Research and Applications Information Center|location=Boulder, Colorado |access-date=May 30, 2020 |format=PDF |date=July 1990}}</ref>{{rp|3}} [[Beaufort County, South Carolina]], declared a [[state of emergency]] on September 20 and implemented voluntary evacuations.<ref name="CouldStrikeLandTonight" />{{rp|A7}} [[Carroll A. Campbell Jr.]], the [[Governor of South Carolina]], issued a voluntary evacuation order before the coast was placed under a hurricane warning,{{sfn|NOAA|pp=16–17}} with the initial directive intended for barrier islands, beaches, and peninsulas outside Charleston.<ref name="Baker" />{{rp|3}} This was later supplanted by a mandatory evacuation order.<ref name="Baker" />{{rp|9}} Governor Campbell ordered eight coastal counties to open shelters; of these shelters, 20 were opened in Charleston County.<ref name="ThousandsFleeHugosPath" />{{rp|2}} Four hundred troops from the National Guard were activated to assist in evacuations along the coast.<ref name="ThousandsFleeHugosPath">{{cite news |title=Thousands flee from Hugo's path |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52772431/|via=Newspapers.com |access-date=June 4, 2020 |work=The Index-Journal |agency=Associated Press |issue=196 |date=September 21, 1989 |location=Greenwood, South Carolina |pages=1–2}}
*[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52772431/ p. 1]
*[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52772541/ p. 2]</ref>{{rp|1}} A total of 264,000&nbsp;people were evacuated in South Carolina; most took shelter in the homes of friends or relatives, and relatively few sought refuge in public shelters.{{sfn|FEMA|pp=31–41}} A fifth of evacuees took refuge within 30&nbsp;minutes of their homes.<ref name="Baker" />{{rp|10}} An estimated 96&nbsp;percent of people on the high-risk barrier islands and beaches evacuated, while 75–80&nbsp;percent of people in moderate-risk areas evacuated. Most did not evacuate until after the hurricane warning and mandatory evacuation order were issued.{{sfn|FEMA|pp=31–41}} Accurate forecasts from the NHC and the resulting narrow scope of evacuations allowed the evacuations to "[proceed] as smoothly as could be expected", and [[contraflow lane reversal|contraflow]] traffic patterns were not required for those departing Charleston via [[Interstate 26]].<ref name="Baker" /> Parts of the Georgia and North Carolina coasts also evacuated ahead of Hugo.<ref name="Baker" />{{rp|3}} Georgia enacted a full evacuation, with 175,000&nbsp;leaving their homes and 6,000 moving to public shelters.<ref name="Baker" />{{rp|14}} Civil authorities in [[Glynn County, Georgia]], urged the 15,000&nbsp;residents along barrier islands to begin evacuating on the morning of September 21 ahead of hurricane warnings.<ref name="CouldStrikeLandTonight">{{cite news |last1=Davis |first1=Jingle |title=Hurricane Could Strike Land Tonight |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52768145/|via=Newspapers.com |access-date=June 4, 2020 |work=The Atlanta Constitution |date=September 21, 1989 |location=Atlanta, Georgia |pages=A1, A7}}
*[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52768145/ p. A1]
*[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52769197/ p. A7]</ref>{{rp|A1}} Public schools were closed in [[Chatham County, Georgia]], to allocate school buses for the evacuation of barrier islands.<ref name="CouldStrikeLandTonight" />{{rp|A7}} Three shelters were opened in North Carolina, though emergency management did not anticipate ordering evacuations.{{sfn|NOAA|pp=16–17}}

{{clear}}

== Impact ==
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="float:right"
|+ Direct impact by country or region{{efn|This tabulation only includes direct fatalities associated with the hurricane's forces.}}
|-
! scope="col" | Country
! scope="col" | Deaths
! scope="col" | Damage
|-
! scope="row" | [[Antigua and Barbuda]]
| {{nts|2}}<ref name="Lawrence" />
| {{ntsp|199999000||$}}<ref name="NODSHurricane" />
|-
! scope="row" | [[British Virgin Islands]]
| —
| {{ntsp|50000000||$}}<ref name="DamageBreakdown" />
|-
! scope="row" | [[Dominica]]
| —
| {{ntsp|20000000||$}}<ref name="Rasmussen" />
|-
! scope="row" | [[Guadeloupe]]
| {{nts|11}}<ref name="Lawrence" />
| {{ntsp|880000000||$}}<ref name="Masters9">{{cite book|title=Remembering Hurricane Hugo|chapter=Day 9: Hurricane Hugo Strikes Guadalupe|url=http://www.wunderground.com/hurricane/hugo_day_9.asp |publisher=Weather Underground, Inc. |access-date=April 21, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100602185702/http://www.wunderground.com/hurricane/hugo_day_9.asp |archive-date=June 2, 2010}}</ref>
|-
! scope="row" | [[Montserrat]]
| {{nts|10}}<ref name="Lawrence" />
| {{ntsp|260000000||$}}<ref name="Masters9" />
|-
! scope="row" | [[Netherlands Antilles]]
| {{nts|11}}{{EM-DAT}}
| {{ntsp|50000000||$}}{{EM-DAT}}
|-
! scope="row" | [[Puerto Rico]]
| {{nts|8}}<ref name="Lawrence" /><ref name="DeadlyHugoSlamsPuertoRico">{{cite news |last1=York |first1=Michael |title=Deadly Hugo Slams Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/weather/hurricane/poststories/hugo-pr.htm |access-date=May 30, 2018 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=September 19, 1989 |location=Washington, D.C. |page=A1 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100525125501/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/weather/hurricane/poststories/hugo-pr.htm |archive-date=May 25, 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| {{ntsp|2000000000||$}}{{sfn|National Research Council|pp=70–80}}
|-
! scope="row" | [[St. Kitts and Nevis]]
| {{nts|1}}<ref name="Lawrence" />
| {{ntsp|46000000||$}}<ref name="UWINode210"/>
|-
! scope="row" | {{sort|United States|Contiguous [[United States]]}}
| {{nts|21}}<ref name="Lawrence" />
| {{ntsp|7000000000||$}}<ref name="NHC6" />
|-
! scope="row" | {{sort|United States Virgin Islands|[[U.S. Virgin Islands]]}}
| {{nts|3}}<ref name="Lawrence" />
| {{ntsp|500000000||$}}{{sfn|"Storm Data"|p=54}}
|-
|}

=== Caribbean ===
{{Main|Effects of Hurricane Hugo in the Caribbean}}
Hugo was the strongest storm to traverse the northeastern Caribbean since [[Hurricane David]] in [[1979 Atlantic hurricane season|1979]].<ref name="CaribbeanIslandsCautious" /><ref name="HugoTakesAimPuertoRico">{{cite news |last1=Glass |first1=Robert |title=Caribbean islands cautious of Hugo |url=https://www.thestate.com/news/weather-news/article235161472.html |access-date=April 19, 2020 |work=The State |agency=Associated Press |date=September 18, 1989 |location=Columbia, South Carolina |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190923141434/https://www.thestate.com/news/weather-news/article235161472.html |archive-date=September 23, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Sea, Lake, and Overland Surge from Hurricanes]] (SLOSH) model estimated that [[storm surge]] from Hugo led to coastal water levels {{cvt|3|–|4|ft|m}} above normal [[tide|tidal heights]] along [[Saint Croix]] and the eastern end of Puerto Rico.<ref name="Lawrence" /> These equated to [[storm surge]] heights of around {{cvt|7|–|8|ft|m}}.{{sfn|NOAA|p=4}} Water levels of {{cvt|2|–|3|ft|m}} above normal were estimated to have occurred along the northern coast of Puerto Rico.<ref name="Lawrence" /> Rainfall on the Caribbean islands averaged between {{convert|5|and|10|in|mm|abbr=on}}.<ref name="PummelsResortIslands">{{cite news |last1=Schmalz |first1=Jeffrey |title=Hurricane Pummels Resort Islands of Caribbean |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/09/18/us/hurricane-pummels-resort-islands-of-caribbean.html |access-date=April 21, 2020 |work=The New York Times |date=September 18, 1989 |page=A14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171219215245/http://www.nytimes.com/1989/09/18/us/hurricane-pummels-resort-islands-of-caribbean.html |archive-date=December 19, 2017 |url-status=live}}{{subscription required}}</ref> The NHC's preliminary report on the hurricane enumerated 28&nbsp;fatalities in the eastern Caribbean while media reports tallied over 30.<ref name="Lawrence" /><ref name="DamageBreakdown">{{cite news|title=Damage breakdown|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52393378/|via=Newspapers.com |access-date=May 29, 2020 |work=The Miami Herald |date=September 23, 1989 |location=Miami, Florida |page=9A}}</ref> As many as 100,000&nbsp;people may have been left homeless throughout the region as a result of Hugo.<ref name="DamageBreakdown" />

Guadeloupe and Montserrat were hardest-hit among the [[Leeward Islands]], and collectively suffered over $1&nbsp;billion in damage and recorded 21&nbsp;fatalities.<ref name="Lawrence" /><ref name="Masters9" /><ref name="HurricaneRoutsThousands">{{cite news |last1=McFadden |first1=Robert D. |title=Hurricane Routs Thousands in Path Across Caribbean |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/09/19/us/hurricane-routs-thousands-in-path-across-caribbean.html |access-date=May 29, 2020 |work=New York Times |date=September 19, 1989 |page=A1 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190605063059/https://www.nytimes.com/1989/09/19/us/hurricane-routs-thousands-in-path-across-caribbean.html |archive-date=June 5, 2019 |url-status=live }}{{subscription required}}</ref> Though less severe, widespread damage was also inflicted by Hugo across the remainder of the Leeward and Windward Islands. Extensive flooding occurred on Antigua, and power outages befell the island after utility poles were uprooted by the storm.<ref name="HugoTakesAimPuertoRico" /> There were 2&nbsp;deaths and 181&nbsp;injuries. Another 509&nbsp;people were left homeless following damage wrought to 15&nbsp;percent of homes.<ref name="NODSHurricane"/> Partial damage was documented on 1,500&nbsp;homes and total loss was documented on 106. Thirty percent of fishing vessels were also damaged by the hurricane, equating to thousands of boats.<ref name="HorribleHugo" />{{rp|3}}<ref name="DamageBreakdown" /> The total cost of damage reached nearly [[Eastern Caribbean dollar|EC]]$200&nbsp;million.<ref name="NODSHurricane">{{cite web|title=Hurricane|url=http://nods.gov.ag/hazzards/hurricane/ |publisher=National Office of Disaster Services |access-date=April 26, 2020 |location=St. John's, Antigua and Barbuda |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191022145318/http://nods.gov.ag/hazzards/hurricane/ |archive-date=October 22, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> Hugo's damage toll in [[Saint Kitts and Nevis]] amounted to $46&nbsp;million,<ref name="UWINode210"/> largely sustained by shoreline structures and crops.<ref name="Masters9" /> This equated to 32&nbsp;percent of the country's [[gross domestic product]].<ref name="Rasmussen">{{cite book |last1=Rasmussen |first1=Tobias N. |title=Macroeconomic Implications of Natural Disasters in the Caribbean |date=December 2004 |publisher=International Monetary Fund |page=19 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uL0mB4JRBHAC |access-date=April 26, 2020 |chapter=Summary of Findings|isbn=978-1-4527-5507-6}}</ref> Homes, government buildings, and trees were damaged by the storm.<ref name="DamageBreakdown" /><ref name="HugoWrought">{{cite news |title=What Hugo Has Wrought |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52391782/|via=Newspapers.com |access-date=May 29, 2020 |work=Philadelphia Daily News |agency=Associated Press |date=September 19, 1989 |location=Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |page=3}}</ref> A fifth of the country was rendered homeless and the entire populace lost power and water.<ref name="UWINode210">{{cite web |title=Hurricane Hugo 1989 |url=http://www.uwi.edu/ekacdm/node/210 |publisher=The University of the West Indies |access-date=April 26, 2020 |date=2018}}</ref> Ninety percent of the residents of [[Nevis]] lost their homes. One person was killed after a wall collapsed upon him.<ref name="DamageBreakdown" /><ref name="DisasterSKN">{{cite web |title=Disasters |url=https://ndmd.kn/disasters/ |publisher=Nevis Disaster Management Department |access-date=May 29, 2020}}</ref>

[[File:Hurricane Hugo's path in the Caribbean.png|thumb|left|upright=1.2|Hugo's path in the Caribbean|alt=Track of Hugo in the Caribbean]]

Dominica was most affected among the Windward Islands.<ref name="Grossman">{{cite book |last1=Grossman |first1=Lawrence S. |title=The Political Ecology of Bananas: Contract Farming, Peasants, and Agrarian Change in the Eastern Caribbean |date=1998 |publisher=The University of North Carolina Press |location=Chapel Hill, North Carolina |isbn=0-8078-2410-0 |page=63 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UOhcRb7R8tEC&pg=PA63|via=Google Books |access-date=May 29, 2020 |chapter=Environmental, Capital, and the State}}</ref> Hugo ruined 80&nbsp;percent of the island's banana crop and interrupted water supplies.<ref name="Masters9" /> Coastal roads were damaged by the hurricane's choppy seas; a washout along a primary thoroughfare isolated the village of Dubique.<ref name="DamageBreakdown" /> Bridges and storm drains also took heavy damage.<ref name="IsleByIsle" /> Landslides isolated towns for many days.<ref name="Masters9" /> The damage toll in Dominica totaled $20&nbsp;million.<ref name="Rasmussen" />

The hurricane moved near the Virgin Islands and made two landfalls in Puerto Rico as it egressed the Caribbean, causing considerable destruction. Estimates of the damage toll in this region vary but include over $50&nbsp;million each for the British Virgin Islands and Netherlands Antilles, $2&nbsp;billion for Puerto Rico, and $500&nbsp;million for Saint Croix.<ref name="DamageBreakdown" />{{sfn|National Research Council|pp=70–80}}{{sfn|"Storm Data"|p=54}}{{EM-DAT}} Hugo's center was {{convert|85|mi|km|abbr=on}} southwest of [[Sint Maarten]] at its closest approach; a station there reported a maximum sustained wind {{convert|46|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} and a peak gust of {{convert|78|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}.<ref name="Lawrence" /> Eleven people were killed in the Netherlands Antilles and caused $50&nbsp;million in damage there.{{EM-DAT}} The damage toll in the British Virgin Islands exceeded $50&nbsp;million, with the loss of at least half of the islands' agriculture. Around 30&nbsp;percent of homes were unroofed.<ref name="DamageBreakdown" /> Power outages affected the British Virgin Islands. The Associated Press reported "numerous injuries" and "scores of homes destroyed" on [[Tortola]], the largest island in the BVI.<ref name="HugoWrought" /> A third of the island's private homes were wrecked.<ref name="DamageBreakdown" /> The hurricane also caused widespread power outages in the Dominican Republic while tracking northwest towards the continental United States.<ref name="RagingWindsDevastatePuertoRico" />{{rp|4A}}
{{clear}}

=== Continuous United States ===
Hugo was the costliest hurricane in U.S. history at the time and one of its costliest disasters overall, with a damage toll of $8&nbsp;billion estimated by the NHC.<ref name="NHC6" />{{sfn|Rubin and Popkin|p=iv}} This total was over three times higher than that inflicted by [[Hurricane Frederic]], the previous costliest hurricane.<ref name="NHC6">{{cite web |last1=Blake |first1=Eric S. |last2=Landsea |first2=Christopher |last3=Gibney |first3=Ethan J. |title=The Deadliest, Costliest, and Most Intense United States Tropical Cyclones From 1851 to 2010 (And Other Frequency Requested Hurricane Facts) |url=https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/pdf/nws-nhc-6.pdf |publisher=National Hurricane Center |access-date=April 18, 2020 |location=Miami, Florida |date=August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417082913/https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/pdf/nws-nhc-6.pdf |archive-date=April 17, 2020 |url-status=live }}</ref>{{efn|This figure does not account for [[inflation]].<ref name="NHC6" />}} ''[[The State (newspaper)|The State]]'', a South Carolina newspaper, estimated that the U.S. incurred $8.671&nbsp;billion in damage from Hugo, with $7.071&nbsp;billion in the contiguous U.S. and $1.6&nbsp;billion in Puerto Rico and the [[U.S. Virgin Islands]].<ref name="Lawrence" /> ''[[The San Juan Star]]'', a Puerto Rican newspaper, calculated that losses in Puerto Rico amounted to $2&nbsp;billion.{{sfn|National Research Council|pp=70–80}} Insured property damage in the contiguous U.S. reached $3.042&nbsp;billion according to the [[American Insurance Association]], with another $1.881&nbsp;billion in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.<ref name="Lawrence" /> Although the most heavily impacted areas had relatively low population, Hugo moved over heavily forested areas; this was unusual for a hurricane striking the United States, and led to significant secondary damage from falling trees.{{sfn|FEMA|p=1}} Hugo was also the most powerful storm to strike the country since [[Hurricane Camille]] in [[1969 Atlantic hurricane season|1969]].{{sfn|Rubin and Popkin|p=1}}

In addition to the rain, surge, and wind associated with Hugo, the [[Storm Prediction Center|National Severe Storms Forecast Center]] received unconfirmed reports of tornadoes [[List of tropical cyclone-spawned tornadoes|produced]] by Hugo in South Carolina and west-central North Carolina, though it was difficult to differentiate tornadic damage from the broader-swaths of wind damage caused by the hurricane. There were 26&nbsp;fatalities in the United States attributed directly to the weather conditions produced by Hugo; among the country's states and territories, South Carolina had the highest death toll with 13&nbsp;direct fatalities. The [[American Red Cross]] enumerated 70&nbsp;fatalities in the Carolinas, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands both directly and indirectly caused by Hugo. The homes of more than 200,000&nbsp;families nationwide were damaged or destroyed; 129,687&nbsp;families were affected in the [[Carolinas]] and 87,700&nbsp;families were affected in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.{{sfn|NOAA|pp=4–7}}

==== South Carolina ====
[[File:Wea00456.jpg|thumb|Hugo making landfall on South Carolina early on September 22|alt=Satellite image of Hugo at landfall]]
The eye of Hugo moved ashore [[South Carolina]] at Sullivan's Island at 04:00&nbsp;UTC on September 22 (12:00&nbsp;a.m. [[Eastern Daylight Time|EDT]]). The storm's maximum sustained winds were estimated by the NHC to have reached {{convert|140|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} during landfall, making Hugo a Category 4 hurricane. This estimate was derived from an aircraft reconnaissance flight into the storm shortly before landfall; no weather stations were positioned along Bulls Bay, where Hugo's strongest winds likely occurred.<ref name="Lawrence" />  This intensity made Hugo the strongest hurricane to strike the United States in 20&nbsp;years.{{sfn|NOAA|p=xi}} The ship ''Snow Goose'', anchored in the [[Sampit River]] {{cvt|5|mi|km}} west of [[Georgetown, South Carolina|Georgetown]], clocked a 120-mile-per-hour (193&nbsp;km/h) sustained wind using an anemometer mounted on the ship's mast.<ref name="Lawrence" /><ref name="HugoILM" /> In downtown [[Charleston, South Carolina|Charleston]], a sustained wind of {{convert|87|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} and a gust of {{convert|108|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} were reported. Hugo produced an {{convert|8|ft|m|adj=on}} storm surge at Charleston, indicating that water levels rose {{cvt|12.9|ft|m}} above [[Chart datum#Mean Lower Low Water|mean lower low water]] as Hugo made landfall.<ref name="Lawrence" /> Elsewhere along the South Carolina coast, Hugo produced storm tides as high as {{cvt|20|ft|m}}.<ref name="Lawrence" /> The maximum recorded storm surge was {{cvt|20.2|ft|m}} along Seewee Bay south of [[McClellanville, South Carolina|McClellanville]].{{sfn|"Storm Data"|p=46}} This rise in water induced by Hugo resulted in the highest storm tides ever recorded along the [[U.S. East Coast]].{{sfn|NOAA|p=1}} Between {{cvt|3|and|8|in|mm}} of rain fell across a swath {{convert|150|mi|km|abbr=on}} wide over South Carolina.<ref name="Lawrence" /> The maximum rainfall in the state (and the continental United States) was {{cvt|10.28|in|mm}} as measured in [[Edisto Island]].<ref name="WPCMax">{{cite web|last1=Roth|first1=David M. |title=Hurricane Hugo - September 17-24, 1989 |url=https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/tropical/rain/hugo1989.html |website=Tropical Cyclone Rainfall Data |publisher=Weather Prediction Center |access-date=April 20, 2020 |date=February 21, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190528181108/https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/tropical/rain/hugo1989.html |archive-date=May 28, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> Totals between {{cvt|4|and|6|in|mm}} were commonplace along the coast of South Carolina.{{sfn|NOAA|pp=4–7}}

[[File:Hurricane Hugo beach front damage.jpg|thumb|left|Damaged beachfront property in South Carolina|alt=Aerial view of debris strewn about a beach]]
The South Carolina Electric and Gas Company (SCE&G) called Hugo "the single greatest natural disaster ever to strike the state", inflicting $5.9&nbsp;billion in property damage. The hurricane's trajectory swept across three major South Carolina cities.<ref name="EhingerDamage">{{cite CiteSeerX |last1=Ehinger |first1=Louis H. |title=Hurricane Hugo Damage |citeseerx=10.1.1.618.6666 }}</ref> According to the [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]]'s ''[[Storm Data]]'' publication, there were 35&nbsp;deaths associated with Hugo in South Carolina. The hurricane's forces killed 13&nbsp;people while another 22&nbsp;fatalities were considered "indirectly-related".{{sfn|"Storm Data"|p=46}} Among the indirect fatalities were two people killed by house fires started by candles during the storm.{{sfn|"Storm Data"|p=47}} Another 420&nbsp;people were injured throughout the state.{{sfn|"Storm Data"|p=46}} The Red Cross documented the destruction of 3,307&nbsp;single-family homes and "major damage" to another 18,171.{{sfn|Rubin and Popkin|p=3}} Across eight counties, manufacturers incurred $158&nbsp;million in damage to factories and $750&nbsp;million in inventory and income losses.{{sfn|Rubin and Popkin|p=4}} Much of the South Carolina coast was subject to the ferocity of the hurricane's forces.{{sfn|"Storm Data"|p=46}} Hugo's storm surge wrecked the [[barrier island]]s, thoroughly razing many structures. Many homes on [[Wadmalaw Island]] and [[Johns Island, South Carolina|Johns Island]] were crushed by fallen trees.{{sfn|"Storm Data"|p=47}} The [[Ben Sawyer Bridge]] connecting the South Carolina mainland to Sullivan's Island was heavily damaged and became stuck in an open position.{{sfn|NOAA|pp=4–7}} Rows of beachfront homes on Sullivan's Island were razed by the surge. Ships at the marina in [[Isle of Palms, South Carolina|Isle of Palms]] were crumpled into a heap on the mainland shore.{{sfn|"Storm Data"|p=46}} Beach homes on Isle of Palms were moved {{cvt|150|ft}} off their foundations by an {{convert|11|ft|m|adj=on}} storm surge; in total, 60&nbsp;homes were destroyed on the island.<ref name="Glance" /> The damage in Sullivan's Island and Isle of Palms combined was estimated to be approximately $270&nbsp;million.{{sfn|"Storm Data"|p=46}} Every building on the two islands took damage from the hurricane.<ref name="HugoILM" /> Storm surge tore off the pavement from coastal roads and destroyed 80&nbsp;percent at [[Folly Beach, South Carolina|Folly Beach]].<ref name="Glance" /> All [[List of South Carolina state parks|coastal state parks]] with the exception of [[Hunting Island State Park|Hunting Island]] and [[Edisto Beach State Park|Edisto Beach]] sustained significant damage.{{sfn|"Storm Data"|p=46}}

[[File:Building wrecked by Hugo.jpg|thumb|Charleston was heavily impacted by Hugo|alt=A destroyed brick building, with debris piled high along the side of the adjacent road]]
[[Charleston County, South Carolina|Charleston County]] was at the epicenter of Hugo's devastation.{{sfn|"Storm Data"|p=47}} At McClellanville, near the point of maximum storm surge, shrimp boats were pushed as far as {{cvt|0.5|mi|km}} inland.{{sfn|"Storm Data"|p=46}} Commercial and recreational craft damaged other structures as they were carried ashore.{{sfn|FEMA|pp=9–12}} A high school used as a shelter for 1,125&nbsp;local residents was inundated by the ocean's advance;{{sfn|"Storm Data"|p=46}}{{sfn|Miller|p=33}} documentation had listed its elevation {{cvt|11|ft|m}} too high, leading to its mistaken selection as a shelter.{{sfn|NOAA|p=xiii}} The storm surge accumulated within the [[Ashley River (South Carolina)|Ashley]], [[Cooper River (South Carolina)|Cooper]], and [[Santee River|Santee]] rivers, forcing them over their banks and submerging low-lying areas {{cvt|10|mi|km}} upstream. One person was killed by the rise of the Cooper River at [[Mount Pleasant, South Carolina|Mount Pleasant]]. Seven to eight hundred boats were left in derelict condition,{{sfn|"Storm Data"|p=47}} and many in [[Shem Creek]] capsized.<ref name="HugoILM" /> Hugo's surge spilled over [[The Battery (Charleston)|The Battery]] and overtook the first floors of homes in downtown Charleston. Eighty percent of roofs in the city were damaged, with many already susceptible to strong winds due to poor maintenance and weak structural integrity.<ref name="HugoILM" />{{sfn|Miller|p=5}} At least 3,200&nbsp;historic structures in Charleston were damaged and 95&nbsp;percent of urban trees were lost.<ref name="Glance">{{cite book |last1=Allen |first1=Claudia |editor1-last=Macchio |editor1-first=William J. |title=Hurricane Hugo: Storm of the Century |date=1989 |publisher=BD Publishing |location=Mount Pleasant, South Carolina |pages=38–41 |url=https://www.weather.gov/media/ilm/climate/Hugo/Hugo-Storm_of_the_Century.pdf |access-date=May 31, 2020 |chapter=Hugo At A Glance |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180917071319/https://www.weather.gov/media/ilm/climate/Hugo/Hugo-Storm_of_the_Century.pdf |archive-date=September 17, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Naval Support Activity Charleston|Naval Weapons Station Charleston]] sustained $95–$100&nbsp;million in damage. Two people were killed in Charleston by the collapse of their homes.{{sfn|"Storm Data"|p=47}} The [[U.S. Route 17]] bridge across Awendaw Creek in [[Awendaw, South Carolina|Awendaw]] was destroyed by a {{cvt|19.4|ft}} storm tide.<ref name="HugoILM" /> Extensive losses to timber occurred at [[Francis Marion National Forest]],{{sfn|"Storm Data"|p=47}} where 75&nbsp;percent of marketable trees were felled.<ref name="EhingerDamage" /> Most trees were truncated {{cvt|10|–|25|ft}} above the ground, with others snapped or uprooted; the cost of damage was estimated by the [[U.S. Forest Service]] at between $95 and 115&nbsp;million.<ref name="DevastationForest">{{cite book |last1=Elgison |first1=Holly |last2=Elgison |first2=Howard |editor1-last=Macchio |editor1-first=William J. |title=Hurricane Hugo: Storm of the Century |date=1989 |publisher=BD Publishing |location=Mount Pleasant, South Carolina |page=34 |url=https://www.weather.gov/media/ilm/climate/Hugo/Hugo-Storm_of_the_Century.pdf |access-date=May 30, 2020 |chapter=Devastation of a Forest |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180917071319/https://www.weather.gov/media/ilm/climate/Hugo/Hugo-Storm_of_the_Century.pdf |archive-date=September 17, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> Animals, including some from [[endangered species]], were killed at [[Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge]].{{sfn|"Storm Data"|p=47}} However, the lack of infrastructure near the refuge significantly reduced the damage wrought by Hugo's strongest winds.{{sfn|FEMA|p=3}}

[[File:Hurricane Hugo mobile home damage.jpg|thumb|left|Wrecked mobile homes along the South Carolina coast]]
Coastal impacts in South Carolina were extensive beyond Charleston County. The waterfront in [[Georgetown, South Carolina|Georgetown]] suffered heavily, with the destruction of 150&nbsp;homes. Major damage was inflicted upon 350&nbsp;homes and minor damage was inflicted upon another 500&nbsp;homes, with their aggregate losses amounting to $87&nbsp;million. Farms and businesses around Georgetown sustained $10&nbsp;million in damage. Only a few beachfront homes withstood the hurricane in [[Pawleys Island]]. Debris from destroyed homes piled atop streets along the island's south end. Hugo caused about $944&nbsp;million in damage in [[Horry County, South Carolina|Horry County]].{{sfn|"Storm Data"|p=47}} As protective sand dunes were whittled down by the hurricane, beaches along {{cvt|150|mi}} of the coastal Carolinas recessed {{cvt|50|–|200|ft}} inland.{{sfn|FEMA|pp=5–8}} Beaches were eroded by a {{convert|13|ft|m|adj=on}} surge up to the most outward row of homes in [[Garden City, South Carolina|Garden City]].{{sfn|"Storm Data"|p=47}}<ref name="HugoILM" /> These coastal homes were razed or washed inland, dealing damage to additional homes.{{sfn|FEMA|pp=14–17}} M. L. Love, the administrator for Horry County, said that the city "for all practical purposes is gone."<ref name="HugoILM" /> Severe beach erosion also occurred in [[Myrtle Beach, South Carolina|Myrtle Beach]] and [[North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina|North Myrtle Beach]].{{sfn|"Storm Data"|p=47}} Piers along the coast of Horry County were heavily damaged by storm surge. The pier at Sunset Beach was reduced to its pilings. [[Myrtle Beach Air Force Base]] sustained $2&nbsp;million in damage from buildings and equipment.{{sfn|"Storm Data"|p=47}} With the [[Grand Strand]] and Myrtle Beach areas experiencing only low-end hurricane-force winds, the widespread wind damage in those areas was attributed to "widespread underdesign and marginal building practices."{{sfn|Miller|p=ii}} Lesser damage occurred along the southern South Carolina coast between Charleston, South Carolina, and [[Savannah, Georgia]], with winds there remaining below {{cvt|65|mph}}.<ref name="Glance" />

Hugo's acceleration at landfall allowed strong winds to penetrate well inland, causing widespread wind damage across the eastern two-thirds of the state.{{sfn|"Storm Data"|p=15}} The NOAA classified wind damage as "extensive" in 15&nbsp;counties. Devastated groves of pine trees were characteristic of the hurricane's impacts, in addition to numerous unroofed homes and cotton crops injured by the winds and rain.{{sfn|"Storm Data"|p=46}}{{sfn|NOAA|pp=4–7}} Over one-third of all timber in the state was damaged,{{sfn|"Storm Data"|p=46}} with the damage most extensive near the coast and locations that were northeast of Hugo's eye as it moved across the state.{{sfn|Sheffield and Thompson|p=4}} This quantity of timber was enough to build 660,000&nbsp;homes. The total stock of growing [[softwood]] was cut by 21&nbsp;percent while the total stock of growing [[hardwood]] fell by 6&nbsp;percent.{{sfn|Sheffield and Thompson|p=5}}{{sfn|Sheffield and Thompson|p=10}} Hugo was widely considered the most significant forest disaster in South Carolina history.{{sfn|Sheffield and Thompson|p=1}} Across 23&nbsp;counties, 4.4&nbsp;million acres (1.8&nbsp;million hectares) experienced the loss of 6.6&nbsp;million [[board feet]] (15,600&nbsp;m<sup>3</sup>) of timber, equivalent to three to four times the annual timber harvest; this was a greater loss of timber than observed in Hurricane Camille, the [[1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens]], and the [[Yellowstone fires of 1988]], combined.<ref name="EhingerDamage" /> [[Berkeley County, South Carolina|Berkeley]], [[Clarendon County, South Carolina|Clarendon]], [[Florence County, South Carolina|Florence]], [[Lee County, South Carolina|Lee]], [[Sumter County, South Carolina|Sumter]], and [[Williamsburg County|Williamsburg]] counties each experienced damage to more than 90&nbsp;percent of timberland.{{sfn|Sheffield and Thompson|p=4}} A conservative estimate valued the lost timber statewide at $1.04&nbsp;billion.<ref name="EhingerDamage" /> Downed trees and wind-blown debris severed power lines, cutting power for most areas.{{sfn|NOAA|pp=4–7}} Three power plants were also disabled by the storm. SCE&G reported that 300,000 of its electricity customers lost power, with a complete loss of power east of [[Interstate 95 in South Carolina|Interstate 95]]. Utility services from the [[Santee Cooper|South Carolina Public Service Authority]] were crippled for 99&nbsp;percent of the utility's customers.<ref name="EhingerDamage" />  At [[Shaw Air Force Base]] near [[Sumter, South Carolina|Sumter]], 200&nbsp;homes were destroyed and 1,000 sustained heavy damage;{{sfn|NOAA|pp=15–16}} the property damage toll for Sumter County was $237&nbsp;million. The effects of Hugo in the Carolinas were most fatal in Berkeley County, where eight people were killed. Over a thousand homes and apartments were destroyed and 70–80&nbsp;percent of the county's trees were blown down. Up to a quarter of [[York County, South Carolina|York County]]'s cotton crop was lost, with additional losses suffered by peach, sorghum, and soybean crops.<ref name="Glance" />

==== North Carolina ====
[[File:WBT-AM tower after hugo.JPG|thumb|The damaged transmitter towers of AM radio station [[WBT (AM)|WBT]] near Charlotte, North Carolina|alt=Three transmitter towers, with one bent in half]]
Across North Carolina, Hugo damaged 2,638&nbsp;structures and destroyed 205;{{sfn|"Storm Data"|p=43}} the damage toll was $1&nbsp;billion.<ref name="CSCNC">{{cite web |title=Hurricane Hugo |url=http://csc.noaa.gov/products/nchaz/htm/hugo.htm |website=Hazard History |publisher=NOAA Coastal Services Center |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070607230813/http://csc.noaa.gov/products/nchaz/htm/hugo.htm |archive-date=June 7, 2007 |date=1999}}</ref> Losses to crops and livestock amounted to nearly $97&nbsp;million.{{sfn|"Storm Data"|p=43}} There were seven fatalities in the state.<ref name="Lawrence" /> Storm surge along the coast of North Carolina west of [[Cape Fear (headland)|Cape Fear]] reached {{cvt|9|ft}} above mean sea level.{{sfn|"Storm Data"|p=43}} Three beach communities in [[Brunswick County, North Carolina]], incurred a total of $55&nbsp;million in damage;<ref name="HoldenBeach30">{{cite news |last1=Rose |first1=Tracy |title=Estimated damage at Holden Beach: about $30 million |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=3L8sAAAAIBAJ&pg=3470%2C2699469 |via=Google News |access-date=May 29, 2020 |work=Star-News |issue=3 |volume=60 |date=September 24, 1989 |location=Wilmington, North Carolina |page=1A |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190323040258/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=3L8sAAAAIBAJ&sjid=XRQEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3470%2C2699469 |archive-date=March 23, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> with at least 25&nbsp;beachfront homes battered by the storm;<ref name="HugoILM" /> another 100&nbsp;structures were threatened by coastal erosion. Along parts of the coast, {{cvt|50|ft}} of beach eroded, including sand dunes that once stood {{cvt|7|–|8|ft}} tall. Sixty percent of the sand dunes in [[Long Beach, North Carolina|Long Beach]] were eliminated by the hurricane, further exposing areas inland to the storm's fury. Several piers were wrecked by Hugo: the pier at [[Yaupon Beach, North Carolina|Yaupon Beach]] was destroyed while a fourth of the pier at Long Beach was lost; the end of the pier at [[Holden Beach, North Carolina|Holden Beach]] also succumbed to the storm.<ref name="HugoILM" />

With the aid of Hugo's rapid forward motion, the swath of damaging winds produced by Hugo in interior South Carolina penetrated into [[western North Carolina]] while still a category 1 hurricane and brought extensive damage to areas that rarely experienced impacts from tropical cyclones.<ref name="HugoILM" /> Hugo produced a nearly {{convert|50|mi|km|adj=mid|-wide|abbr=off|sp=us}} corridor of downed trees and power lines west of [[Charlotte, North Carolina|Charlotte]],{{sfn|NOAA|pp=4–7}} and hurricane-force wind gusts extended {{cvt|200|mi}} inland. The control tower at [[Charlotte Douglas International Airport]] clocked a {{cvt|99|mph}} gust,{{sfn|"Storm Data"|p=43}} forcing personnel in the airport's control tower to evacuate.{{sfn|NOAA|pp=15–16}} Windows were blown out of skyscrapers in [[Downtown Charlotte, North Carolina|Downtown Charlotte]]. The {{convert|400|ft|m|adj=on}} tall [[WSOC-TV]] antenna collapsed onto the television station below. Numerous trees in Charlotte were also blown down atop homes and power lines, triggering long-lasting power outages that affected 85&nbsp;percent of Charlotte homes and businesses.<ref name="HugoILM" /> A six-month-old boy was killed after a tree toppled onto his mobile home; another 15&nbsp;people were injured, primarily by falling trees.{{sfn|"Storm Data"|p=43}} The winds piled boats together and destroyed or damaged thousands of them in [[Lake Norman]], located north of Charlotte.{{sfn|"Storm Data"|p=43}}{{sfn|NOAA|pp=4–7}} Wind damage in [[Mecklenburg County, North Carolina|Mecklenburg County]] amounted to over $500&nbsp;million.{{sfn|NOAA|pp=15–16}} Millions of trees were felled across the [[Foothills (North Carolina)|Foothills]] and [[Piedmont (United States)|Piedmont]] of North Carolina; some areas endured the resulting power outages for weeks. The [[National Weather Service]] office in [[Wilmington, North Carolina|Wilmington]] described Hugo's winds as a "unique event in weather history for this portion of inland North Carolina."<ref name="HugoILM">{{cite web|last1=Armstrong|first1=Tim |title=Hurricane Hugo |url=https://www.weather.gov/ilm/hurricanehugo |publisher=National Weather Service Wilmington, North Carolina |access-date=May 29, 2020 |location=Wilmington, North Carolina |date=September 21, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200526234237/https://www.weather.gov/ilm/hurricanehugo |archive-date=May 26, 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref>

==== Virginia ====

Parts of [[Southwest Virginia]] were also impacted by the core of strong winds associated with Hugo, which passed through the state as a tropical storm. [[Bath County, Virginia|Bath]] and [[Bland County, Virginia|Bland]] counties registered 81-mph (130&nbsp;km/h) gusts; these were the fastest gusts measured in Virginia in connection with the passing storm. As was the case in North Carolina, the winds downed numerous trees, causing widespread power outages and structural damage. Their arboreal debris obstructed hundreds of roads. Sporadic damage from Hugo occurred as far east as [[Interstate 95]]. The damage toll in Virginia was approximately $60&nbsp;million, with over $40&nbsp;million incurred in [[Carroll County, Virginia|Carroll]] and [[Grayson County, Virginia]] counties;{{sfn|"Storm Data"|p=52}} six people were killed statewide.<ref name="Lawrence" />

While Hugo's quick traversal of the Southeastern U.S. enlarged the area of inland wind damage, it also attenuated rainfall totals;<ref name="HugoILM" /> rainfall was relatively light for a storm of Hugo's size.{{sfn|"Storm Data"|p=43}} In southwestern [[Virginia]] and western North Carolina, the topography of the [[Appalachian Mountains]] led to a localized area of [[orographic lift|heavier rainfalls]], resulting in {{cvt|6|in|mm}} rainfall totals.{{sfn|NOAA|pp=4–7}} While Hugo's rainfall was not sufficient to cause major river flooding in North Carolina, minor flooding impacted mountainous areas north and east of [[Asheville, North Carolina|Asheville]] and highways in seven counties.{{sfn|NOAA|p=43}} A nursing home in [[Boone, North Carolina]], was evacuated following a flash flood. In [[Burnsville, North Carolina]], flooding prompted the evacuation of 79&nbsp;prisoners.{{sfn|"Storm Data"|p=43}} Rainfall totals of {{cvt|1|–|4|in}} occurred throughout southwestern Virginia, with a maximum of {{cvt|6.5|in}} in [[Hillsville, Virginia]]. Some low-lying areas and streams flooded, including the [[New River (Kanawha River tributary)|New]] and [[Roanoke River|Roanoke]] rivers; flooding along the South Fork of the Roanoke forced about 60&nbsp;people to evacuate.{{sfn|"Storm Data"|p=52}}

==== Elsewhere ====
[[File:Hugo 1989 rainfall.gif|thumb|Rainfall from Hugo spread across the northeastern United States along its track inland|alt=Filled contour map of rainfall attributed to Hugo]]
Strong winds in [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]] downed trees in four counties, damaging homes and power lines. About 50–75&nbsp;trees were toppled around [[Savannah, Georgia|Savannah]], where wind gusts reached {{cvt|54|mph|km/h}}.{{sfn|"Storm Data"|p=34}} The city's weather service office recorded {{cvt|6.10|in}} of rain.<ref name="Lawrence" /> Winds of {{convert|45|–|50|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} downed trees in [[Mercer County, West Virginia]]. Flooding forced the evacuation of the [[Oakdale, West Virginia|Oakdale]] area in [[Harrison County, West Virginia]].<ref name="Glance" /> Widespread [[flash flooding]] occurred across eastern [[Tennessee]], forcing the evacuation of people from affected areas; some of the evacuees had fled South Carolina for the [[Great Smoky Mountains]]. Three hundred people were driven out of [[Carter County, Tennessee|Carter County]]. Floods there swamped homes and the downtown area of [[Roan Mountain, Tennessee|Roan Mountain]]. Bridges and roads were washed out in [[Greene County, Tennessee|Greene]] and [[Johnson County, Tennessee|Johnson]] counties.{{sfn|"Storm Data"|p=50}} Numerous creeks overflowed their banks in northeastern [[Ohio]] following heavy rainfall from the remnants of Hugo on the afternoon of September 22. In both [[Chardon, Ohio|Chardon]] and [[Medina, Ohio|Medina]], {{cvt|4.3|in|mm}} of rain fell in two hours. Floodwaters inundated urban areas and basements. In the eastern suburbs of [[Cleveland, Ohio|Cleveland]], flooding overtook cars and buses. High water and washouts forced the closure of [[U.S. Route 42 in Ohio|U.S. Route 42]] and [[Ohio State Route 94]] in [[Medina County, Ohio|Medina County]].{{sfn|"Storm Data"|p=44}}

The juxtaposition of Hugo's extratropical remnants (a low-pressure system) over the eastern [[Great Lakes region]] and a strong high-pressure system off the U.S. East Coast generated a sharp [[pressure gradient|contrast in pressure]]. This led to strong winds over the [[Mid-Atlantic states]] and [[New England]]. Nearly 85,000&nbsp;homes and businesses lost power on [[Long Island]]. One person was killed in [[Norwich, New York]], after a falling tree struck the car he was in.{{sfn|"Storm Data"|p=43}}  Fifteen counties in [[Pennsylvania]] reported high winds in connection with Hugo, with some sustaining damage to trees.{{sfn|"Storm Data"|p=45}} [[Connecticut]] was buffeted with winds of {{convert|40|–|50|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}, blowing down some trees and branches. This led to scattered and brief power outages that affected 30,000&nbsp;electricity customers. Total property and crop damage in Connecticut amounted to at least $50,000.{{sfn|"Storm Data"|p=32}} Power outages also affected thousands of electricity customers in [[Massachusetts]]. Fallen trees and broken limbs caused scattered property damage throughout the state. In western parts of Massachusetts, some apple orchards reported damage to as much as 30&nbsp;percent of their crops.{{sfn|"Storm Data"|p=39}} In [[Vermont]], the high winds generated [[swell (ocean)|swell]]s several feet high on [[Lake Champlain]], freeing some boats from their moorings. Trees and power lines were also brought down by the winds statewide.{{sfn|"Storm Data"|p=52}}

===Canada===
After becoming extratropical, the remnants of Hugo entered Canada into the [[Provinces and territories of Canada|province]] of [[Ontario]]. In the [[Niagara Falls]] area, winds between {{convert|37|and|43|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} were reported. Winds near {{convert|47|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} were also reported in Toronto. Heavy rainfall also occurred in Ontario, with precipitation in Ontario peaking at {{convert|4.5|in|mm|abbr=on}}, while a maximum amount of {{convert|1.85|in|mm|abbr=on}} was reported in Toronto. As a result of the storm, blackouts and car accidents were reported in Toronto. Furthermore, heavy rains and high winds also occurred across the southern portions of Ontario.<ref name="EC">{{cite web|url=http://www.ec.gc.ca/Hurricane/default.asp?lang=En&n=EB561225-1|title=1989-Hugo|date=September 14, 2009|publisher=[[Environment Canada]]|access-date=August 16, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120907220336/http://www.ec.gc.ca/Hurricane/default.asp?lang=En&n=EB561225-1|archive-date=September 7, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref>

The remnants of Hugo tracked northeastward and entered the Canadian province of [[Quebec]]. In [[Montreal]], rainfall reached only {{convert|0.43|in|mm|abbr=on}}, while precipitation amounts in the province peaked at {{convert|3.73|in|mm|abbr=on}}. In addition to light rain, high winds were reported in the province. Winds in Montreal gusted up to {{convert|59|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}, leaving 13,400 homes without electricity. 7,400 residence in [[Verdun, Quebec|Verdun]] and West Island also lost electricity when tree fell on power lines; it was restored about 12 hours later. While in [[Brossard]] and [[Chambly, Quebec|Chambly]], power was lost to 5,000 homes and 1,000 homes in [[Salaberry-de-Valleyfield|Valleyfield]]. In addition, high winds and heavy rainfall also occurred in the [[Saint Lawrence River|St. Lawrence River Valley]].<ref name="EC"/>

Similar effects were reported in [[New Brunswick]], though little rainfall occurred in the province. Winds gusting to {{convert|77|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} was reported in [[Moncton]]. As a result of high winds, power poles were toppled and tree branches fell, which caused most of New Brunswick's 15,000 power failures. In addition, several tree and signs were blown over in [[Saint John, New Brunswick|Saint John]] and Moncton. The storm also significantly affected the apple crop in New Brunswick. Strong winds were also reported in [[Newfoundland (island)|Newfoundland]], with gusts recorded up to {{convert|43|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}.<ref name="EC"/>

== Aftermath ==
=== Caribbean ===
==== Lesser Antilles ====
A plane bearing 60&nbsp;rescue workers and emergency supplies was sent to Guadeloupe from Paris on September 19, with two more relief aircraft held on standby.<ref name="HugoTakesAimPuertoRico" /> The crews were tasked with sheltering the homeless, restoring electricity service, and clearing roads.<ref name="LashesLeeward">{{cite news |title=Hugo lashes Leeward Islands, bears down on Puerto Rico |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1989/09/17/Hugo-lashes-Leeward-Islands-bears-down-on-Puerto-Rico/4519622008000/ |access-date=April 21, 2020 |work=United Press International |publisher=United Press International, Inc. |date=September 17, 1989 |location=Miami, Florida}}</ref> Doctors were also sent to Guadeloupe from La Meynard Hospital in Martinique.<ref name="BoresIn">{{cite news |last1=Harrison |first1=Carlos |last2=Markowitz |first2=Arnold |title=Hugo bores in on Puerto Rico |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/50585901/|via=Newspapers.com |access-date=May 9, 2020 |work=The Miami Herald |date=September 18, 1989 |pages=1A, 12A}}
*[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/50585901/ p. 1A]
*[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/50586374/ p. 12A]</ref>{{rp|12}} Emergency supplies from Paris were gathered by Catholic Air and [[International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement|Red Cross]].<ref name="HugoTakesAimPuertoRico" /> Military aircraft delivered 50&nbsp;tons (45&nbsp;tonnes) of supplies and over 500&nbsp;emergency workers to Guadeloupe, along with Minister of Overseas France [[Louis Le Pensec]];<ref name="RagingWindsDevastatePuertoRico" />{{rp|4A}} 3,000&nbsp;soldiers also accompanied the transport.<ref name="IsleByIsle">{{cite news |last=Merzer |first=Martin |title=Isle by isle, furious Hugo took toll |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52421581/|via=Newspapers.com |access-date=May 29, 2020 |work=The Miami Herald |date=September 19, 1989 |location=Miami, FL}}</ref> The total cost of repairs on the island was estimated at over [[Euro|€]]610&nbsp;million.<ref name="RavageaitGuadeloupe" /> Two days after Hugo's passage, an [[Aérospatiale SA 330 Puma]] rescue helicopter crashed in La Désirade, killing nine people.<ref name="RavageaitGuadeloupe">{{cite news |last1=Yacou |first1=Yasmina |title=Il y a 29 ans, le cyclone Hugo ravageait la Guadeloupe |url=https://la1ere.francetvinfo.fr/guadeloupe/il-y-29-ans-cyclone-hugo-ravageait-guadeloupe-628244.html |access-date=April 21, 2020 |work=FranceInfo |publisher=France TV |date=September 16, 2018 |language=fr |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190425211134/https://la1ere.francetvinfo.fr/guadeloupe/il-y-29-ans-cyclone-hugo-ravageait-guadeloupe-628244.html |archive-date=April 25, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> The Guadeloupe government held a competition to design homes that would be quickly built to house the island's homeless population; five of thirty models were selected, and the first homes were built five months after Hugo.<ref name="ReconstructionEclair">{{cite web |title=Cyclone Hugo: la reconstruction éclair |url=http://guadeloupe.domiciles.net/construction-assurance/cyclone-hugo-la-reconstruction-art855.html |website=Le 97.fr |publisher=Le97.fr |access-date=May 31, 2020 |language=fr |date=June 24, 2010 |archive-date=August 2, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200802020433/http://guadeloupe.domiciles.net/construction-assurance/cyclone-hugo-la-reconstruction-art855.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> The banana industry in Guadeloupe required [[French franc|FF]]466&nbsp;million to recover, while the island's hotel industry suffered FF152&nbsp;million in losses.<ref name="GeneseDynamiqueHugo">{{cite journal |last1=Pagney Bénito-Espinal |first1=Françoise |title=Genèse et dynamique de l'ouragan Hugo sur la Guadeloupe |journal=Annales de Géographie |date=1991 |volume=100 |issue=558 |pages=152–165 |doi=10.3406/geo.1991.21030 |url=https://www.persee.fr/docAsPDF/geo_0003-4010_1991_num_100_558_21030.pdf |access-date=April 21, 2020 |location=Meudon, France |language=fr }}{{Dead link|date=August 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

The emergency operations center in Montserrat was formally activated on September 18 to effectively deal with the aftermath of Hugo. As more robust communication systems were destroyed by the storm, communications between the island and the outside world were primarily handled by [[amateur radio]].{{sfn|Berke and Wenger|p=23–24}}<ref name="HorribleHugo" />{{rp|1}} Urgent requests for aid were forwarded by ham radio operators to all embassies and foreign missions in Barbados.<ref name="IsleByIsle" /> The island's reduced radio capabilities were augmented by {{HMS|Alacrity|F174|6}} when she arrived in [[Plymouth, Montserrat|Plymouth]] on September 18. The ship also brought a helicopter and a crew of 100&nbsp;sailors that aided in cleaning up roads between Plymouth and W. H. Bramble Airport.{{sfn|Berke and Wenger|p=23–24}}<ref name="HorribleHugo" />{{rp|1}} Extensive effort was required to clean up Montserrat's roads due to the prevalence of debris.<ref name="HorribleHugo" />{{rp|4}} Along with the crew of the ''Alacrity'', the [[Barbados Defence Force]] and [[Jamaica Defence Force]] also assisted in road cleanup operations in Montserrat.<ref name="HorribleHugo" />{{rp|2}} The [[International Rescue Corps]] maintained a satellite communications link and provided support for 21&nbsp;national and international organizations in recovery efforts. Rationing on petroleum was enforced, with a limit of four gallons (15&nbsp;liters) per person. Waterborne illnesses in Hugo's aftermath proved fatal in Montserrat. A temporary hospital was established at the Montserrat [[Government House, Montserrat|Government House]] following the destruction of a recently completed hospital.<ref name="IRCMontserrat">{{cite web|title=Montserrat Hurricane – Sept 1989|url=http://www.intrescue.info/hub/index.php/missions/montserrat-hurricane-sept-1989/ |publisher=International Rescue Corps |access-date=May 29, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170906001334/http://www.intrescue.info/hub/index.php/missions/montserrat-hurricane-sept-1989/ |archive-date=September 6, 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref>

==== United States Virgin Islands ====

[[File:330-CFD-DN-ST-90-00466 (37048871421).jpg|thumb|Relief crews attending a beached sailboat in Saint Croix|alt=Sailors in an inflatable craft near a boat fully surrounded by vegetation]]

President Bush declared the U.S. Virgin Islands a disaster area.<ref name="DamageBreakdown"/> A temporary air traffic control tower was erected at Alexander Hamilton Airport in Saint Croix six days after the storm. Cyril E. King Airport in Saint Thomas, having suffered less damage, resumed operations within 24&nbsp;hours. Power was restored in most of Saint Croix and Saint Thomas within three months. The islands' telephone systems were badly crippled by the storm, and only limited service was restored to businesses in December&nbsp;1989. Some private residences in Saint Croix remained without telephone service until March&nbsp;1990.{{sfn|National Research Council|pp=115–129}} Between 300 and 500&nbsp;prisoners were freed from prison in Saint Croix after the storm, either by escaping or by release due to food and water shortages in the prison.<ref name="DamageBreakdown" /> The [[Federal Emergency Management Agency]] (FEMA) dispatched a [[C-141]] airlifter with government relief workers and communications equipment to Saint Croix.<ref name="HugeEffort" /> The demographics of the Virgin Islands a year after Hugo reflected the hurricane's impact: roughly 10% of Saint Croix's populace did not return to the island within a year of Hugo. A smaller exodus occurred at Saint Thomas and Saint John.{{sfn|FEMA|pp=9–12}}

Three days after the storm hit, the [[List of Governors of the United States Virgin Islands|Governor of the United States Virgin Islands]] [[Alexander Farrelly]] asked President Bush for federal assistance in restoring order to the island.<ref name="hawkeye"/> On the island of Saint Croix, looting and lawlessness reigned in the aftermath of Hugo.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1989/10/01/st-croixs-climate-proved-explosive-after-hurricane-hugo-hit-the-island/5e8f3186-82bb-4800-9ca5-aa8249ca0927/ |title=St. Croix's Climate Proved Explosive After Hurricane Hugo Hit The Island |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |first=Michael |last=York |date=1 October 1989 |access-date=6 October 2017 |quote=Virtually everything worth stealing was gone within a day. With one exception, all of St. Croix's major grocery stores were sacked. The surviving store's stock remained intact only because 10 armed members of the owner's family kept a vigil on the roof. A senior Virgin Islands police official said he could not reach most of his officers during the 24 hours after the eye of the hurricane struck about midnight. He said he saw several of the officers, members of the National Guard and even a few current and former legislators among looters in downtown Christiansted. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171013120128/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1989/10/01/st-croixs-climate-proved-explosive-after-hurricane-hugo-hit-the-island/5e8f3186-82bb-4800-9ca5-aa8249ca0927/ |archive-date=October 13, 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="LootersHitDevastated">{{cite news |last1=Harrison |first1=Carlos |title=Looters hit devastated St. Croix |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52475253/|via=Newspapers.com |access-date=May 30, 2020 |work=The Miami Herald |date=September 20, 1989 |location=Miami, Florida |pages=1A, 13A}}
*[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52475253/ p. 1A]
*[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52475547/ p. 13A]</ref>{{rp|1A}} [[FBI]] agents, U.S. marshals, and local police initially maintained a patrol of Frederiksted and Christiansted while the U.S. Coast Guard evacuated tourists from the island;<ref name="MotorsPowerGenerators" /><ref name="BushOrder" />{{rp|A1}} the [[USCGC Bear (WMEC-901)|USCGC Bear]] evacuated 40&nbsp;people and sent personnel onshore to monitor the situation.<ref name="BushOrder" />{{rp|A6}} However, local law enforcement in Saint Croix was unable to stop widespread looting, with armed gangs reportedly taking root the streets of Christiansted.<ref name="IslandsFightLooting">{{cite news |title=Islands Fight Looting During Cleanup |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52763917/|via=Newspapers.com |access-date=June 4, 2020 |work=The Atlanta Constitution |date=September 20, 1989 |location=Atlanta, Georgia |page=A10}}</ref> ''[[The Atlanta Journal-Constitution|The Atlanta Constitution]]'' reported that some members of the local police and National Guard also took part in looting.<ref name="BushOrder">{{cite news |last1=Malone |first1=Julia |title=Bush Order U.S. Troops To St. Croix |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52769970/|via=Newspapers.com |access-date=June 4, 2020 |work=The Atlanta Constitution |date=September 21, 1989 |pages=A1, A6}}
*[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52769970/ p. A1]
*[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52770415/ p. A6]{{rp|A1}}</ref> For the first time since the [[Baltimore riot of 1968]], American troops were deployed in response to a domestic civil disturbance; with the authorization of U.S. President [[George H. W. Bush]] under the [[Insurrection Act of 1807]], [[the Pentagon]] sent 1,100&nbsp;troops and federal marshals to augment the security presence as local police and the National Guard lost control of the situation.<ref name="MotorsPowerGenerators" /><ref name="DamageBreakdown" /><ref name="BushOrder" />{{rp|A1}} Among the deployments were 470&nbsp;troops from the [[16th Military Police Brigade (United States)|16th Military Police Brigade]], 560&nbsp;troops from the 503rd Military Police Battalion, and three helicopters and medical support.<ref name="BushOrder" />{{rp|A6}} Dubbed Operation Hawkeye, the operation involved elements of the Army, Navy and the Coast Guard, along with a contingent from the U.S. Marshals Service and the FBI, forming Joint Task Force (JTF) 40 for Operation Hawkeye.<ref name="hawkeye">{{cite web |url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/hawkeye.htm |title=Operation Hawkeye |publisher=www.globalsecurity.org |access-date=September 13, 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050911050516/http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/hawkeye.htm |archive-date=September 11, 2005 |url-status=live }}</ref> It also resulted in the first operational deployment of the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS), when the New Mexico-1 Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT) was deployed to assist in medical care needs of the stricken island.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hsc.unm.edu/SOM/cdm/nmdmat_deploy.shtml |title=Disaster deployments by the NM1-DMAT |publisher=[[University of New Mexico]] |access-date=December 19, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100729185307/http://hsc.unm.edu/som/cdm/nmdmat_deploy.shtml |archive-date=July 29, 2010 }}</ref> The first contingent arrived in Saint Croix on the morning of September 21 to secure an airfield and devise the command structure for the other arriving troops.<ref name="DeployStemStCroix">{{cite news |title=U.S. troops deploy to stem St. Croix violence |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52772278/|via=Newspapers.com |access-date=June 4, 2020 |work=The Index-Journal |agency=Associated Press |issue=196 |date=September 21, 1989 |location=Greenwood, South Carolina |page=1}}</ref>

[[National Basketball Association]] player [[Tim Duncan]], born in [[Christiansted]] and a two-time [[Most Valuable Player|NBA MVP]], of the [[San Antonio Spurs]] attributed his basketball career to Hurricane Hugo's destruction. When Tim was 13 years old, he was a competitive swimmer who was considered one of the top United States competitors for the 400-meter freestyle. However, in the aftermath of Hugo, every swimming pool on Saint Croix was destroyed, including the Olympic-size swimming pool. With no pool to practice in, Duncan turned to basketball. Tim Duncan said, "I'm very fortunate to be where I am today. Without Hugo, I might still be swimming."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jockbio.com/Bios/Duncan/Duncan_bio.html|title=Tim Duncan biography|publisher=JockBios|access-date=December 19, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120115130537/http://www.jockbio.com/Bios/Duncan/Duncan_bio.html|archive-date=January 15, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> On April 4, 2020, it was announced that Duncan would be inducted into the [[Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame]] on August 29.<ref>{{cite web |title=Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2020 Announcement presented by Fifty-Five South Ventures |url=http://www.hoophall.com/news/naismith-memorial-basketball-hall-of-fame-class-of-2020-announcement/ |website=hoophall.com |access-date=April 4, 2020 |date=April 4, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Bontemps |first1=Tim |title=Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett lead star-studded Basketball Hall of Fame class |url=https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/28994934 |website=ESPN.com |access-date=June 30, 2020 |date=April 4, 2020}}</ref>

==== Puerto Rico ====
Puerto Rican Governor Hernandez Colón solicited a disaster declaration for Puerto Rico from President Bush after surveying the damage wrought by Hugo.<ref name="TowardsBahamasTurks">{{cite news |last1=Markowitz |first1=Arnold |title=Hurricane heads towards Bahamas, Turks & Caicos |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52389898/|via=Newspapers.com |access-date=May 29, 2020 |work=The Miami Herald |date=September 19, 1989 |location=Miami, Florida |pages=1A, 14A}}
*[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52389898/ p. 1A]
*[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52390252/ p. 14A]</ref>{{rp|1A}} The [[U.S. Department of the Interior]] allocated $500,000 in aid to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.<ref name="ThousandsHomelessCaribbean">{{cite news |title=Thousands homeless in Caribbean |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52392620/|via=Newspapers.com |access-date=May 29, 2020 |work=The Journal-News |agency=Associated Press |date=September 19, 1989 |location=White Plains, New York |page=A1}}</ref> Police were dispatched to retail areas, offices of political parties, and the main San Juan post office to avert looting.<ref name="TowardsBahamasTurks" />{{rp|14A}} An emergency clinic served in place of the destroyed hospital in Culebra.<ref name="IsleByIsle" /> Governor Colón estimated that the number of those displaced by Hugo in Puerto Rico exceeded 50,000.<ref name="IslandsFightLooting" /> Over 25,000&nbsp;people in Culebra and Vieques remained in shelters after Hugo as their homes were destroyed.{{sfn|National Research Council|pp=70–80}} The [[Education in Puerto Rico|Puerto Rican school system]] was hindered by the damage inflicted on the schools themselves, their use as shelters, and the loss of water and power service.{{sfn|National Research Council|pp=115–129}} Due to a lack of planning for housing shelter residents, 500&nbsp;schools remained closed weeks after the storm, affecting at least 150,000&nbsp;students.{{sfn|National Research Council|pp=70–80}} The loss of water caused two hospitals to refuse patient admission on September 20.{{sfn|National Research Council|pp=115–129}}

While power in San Juan was largely restored within 48&nbsp;hours, many in Puerto Rico remained without power in the days following Hugo. On September 24, 47,500&nbsp;businesses and homes in Puerto Rico were without power; the ''San Juan Star'' reported that a quarter of electricity customers in Fajardo remained without electric service on October&nbsp;9, three weeks after Hugo struck the island. Residents of Puerto Rico's northeastern coast were encouraged to [[boil-water advisory|boil water]] to curtail the spread of food- and waterborne diseases, though power outages prevented most from doing so. Repair costs for [[Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority]] poles and wires amounted to $50&nbsp;million; some repair efforts may have been undermined by the looting of copper wire in Hugo's aftermath.{{sfn|National Research Council|pp=115–129}} At least six workers were killed while repairing power lines.{{sfn|"Storm Data"|p=54}} Equipment from the continental U.S. for the restoration of Puerto Rican water supplies arrived beginning on September 22, with the capacity to produce over {{convert|200,000|USgal|liter|abbr=off|sp=us}} of potable water daily. USAF sent power generators, plastic sheeting for repairs, and 200,000&nbsp;<ref name="MotorsPowerGenerators">{{cite news |last1=Perez |first1=Vilma |title=Motors, power generators and other equipment arrived from the... |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1989/09/22/Motors-power-generators-and-other-equipment-arrived-from-the/1822622440000/ |access-date=May 31, 2020 |work=United Press International |date=September 22, 1989 |location=San Juan, Puerto Rico}}</ref> The [[U.S. Army Corps of Engineers]] distributed over 2&nbsp;million gallons (7.6&nbsp;million liters) of water using 33&nbsp;[[tank truck]]s, with the costs subsidized by the U.S. government.{{sfn|National Research Council|pp=115–129}}  [[U.S. Coast Guard]] [[C-130]]s and two [[United States Coast Guard Cutter|cutter]]s were sent to San Juan to render aid and deliver supplies. From its supply centers in the continental U.S., the American Red Cross amassed supplies for victims in Puerto Rico and mounted its largest domestic relief effort in four years.<ref name="HugeEffort">{{cite news |title=Huge effort to aid islands organized |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52495493/|via=Newspapers.com |access-date=May 30, 2020 |work=Palm Beach Post |agency=Associated Press |date=September 20, 1989 |location=West Palm Beach, Florida |page=9A}}</ref><ref name="RedCrossGears">{{cite news |last1=Burson |first1=Pat |title=Local Red Cross |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52764185/|via=Newspapers.com |access-date=June 4, 2020 |work=The Atlanta Constitution |date=September 20, 1989 |location=Atlanta, Georgia |page=A10}}</ref>

=== Continental United States ===
[[File:Campbell, Carroll post-hurricane Hugo.jpg|thumb|Governor Carroll Campbell touring Hugo's damage in South Carolina|alt=Governor Carroll walking among downed trees]]
An overnight curfew was enacted by Charleston Mayor Joseph P. Riley Jr. on September 22 while [[martial law]] was declared for Sullivan's Island.<ref name="HugoILM" /><ref name="EO89-5">{{cite executive order |number=89-5|url=https://www.charleston-sc.gov/DocumentCenter/View/24446/Executive-Order-89-5-Curfew|date=September 22, 1989|post=Mayor of Charleston, South Carolina|access-date=May 30, 2020}}</ref> A [[Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act|federal disaster area]] was declared for 24&nbsp;[[List of counties in South Carolina|counties in South Carolina]].<ref name="CD_SC" /> Federal resources for the aftermath in South Carolina were strained by earlier relief efforts for Hugo's impact in the Caribbean; they would be strained further by the [[1989 Loma Prieta earthquake]] in October.{{sfn|FEMA|p=1}} The presence of debris on roads hampered relief efforts and increased recovery costs.{{sfn|FEMA|pp=9–12}} In contrast with prior trends, more people were killed after the hurricane's passage rather than due to the hurricane's direct forces. Several members of repair crews were killed or injured in South Carolina and Puerto Rico from ungrounded [[portable generator]]s.{{sfn|FEMA|pp=9–12}} There were 24&nbsp;deaths in the aftermath of Hugo in South Carolina.<ref name="CD_SC">{{cite journal |last1=Purvis |first1=John C. |title=South Carolina |journal=Climatological Data |date=September 1989 |volume=92 |issue=9 |page=18|url=https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/orders/IPS/IPS-278A9D30-6440-4203-8380-818C48F41084.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200420231943/https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/orders/IPS/IPS-278A9D30-6440-4203-8380-818C48F41084.pdf|archive-date=April 20, 2020|access-date=April 20, 2020 |publisher=National Centers for Environmental Information |location=Asheville, North Carolina |issn=0364-5037}}</ref> Five people died of [[heart attack]]s while surveying Hugo's aftermath in [[Dorchester County, South Carolina|Dorchester County]].{{sfn|"Storm Data"|p=47}} SCE&G fully restored power to its customers in 18&nbsp;days after deploying 4,703&nbsp;personnel. The company also offered free bus service for a week and distributed [[dry ice]] to the public.<ref name="EhingerDamage" />

Between 15 and 20&nbsp;thousand people were left homeless in Charleston County.{{sfn|"Storm Data"|p=47}} Homes were primarily rebuilt and repaired by non-profit and ad-hoc groups. Churches and other private non-profit groups managed replacement housing for Hugo victims in at least four South Carolina counties whose governments lacked such capabilities.{{sfn|FEMA|pp=9–12}} Temporary housing assistance was extended to 30,000&nbsp;storm victims in the state by the FEMA at a cost of $31&nbsp;million.<ref name="HollingsGAO" />{{rp|2}} In addition to those offered housing grants, 243&nbsp;families were moved to FEMA mobile homes beginning a week after Hugo until April&nbsp;1990.<ref name="HollingsGAO">{{cite report |title=Supplemental Information on Hurricane Hugo in South Carolina |type=Report to the Honorable Ernest F. Hollings, U.S. Senate |url=https://www.gao.gov/assets/220/214353.pdf |publisher=General Accounting Office |access-date=May 30, 2020 |location=Washington, D.C. |date=May 1991 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190419171247/https://www.gao.gov//assets/220/214353.pdf |archive-date=April 19, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>{{rp|3}} State and local governments together contributed $8.25&nbsp;million to public assistance projects.<ref name="HollingsGAO" />{{rp|5}} After the storm, Governor Campbell said that the storm destroyed enough timber in [[South Carolina]] to "frame a home for every family in the state of [[West Virginia]]." An immense salvage effort was undertaken to harvest downed pine trees for [[pulpwood]] before they deteriorated to the point where they could not be used. Still standing timber that appeared usable for [[lumber]] and [[plywood]] frequently had annular separations of the rings that made them dangerous to saw and nearly impossible to cut into plies, so they were also downgraded into pulpwood, leading to such a drop in pulpwood prices that eventually much of the salvage effort ceased.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sbcbaptistpress.org/BPnews.asp?ID=31143 |title=Hugo, 20 years ago, was disaster relief catalyst |last=Noah |first=Mickey |date=August 26, 2009 |publisher=[[Baptist Press]] |access-date=August 23, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120320070844/http://www.sbcbaptistpress.org/BPnews.asp?ID=31143 |archive-date=March 20, 2012 }}</ref> [[United States Senator]] from South Carolina [[Fritz Hollings]] referred to FEMA as "a bunch of bureaucratic jackasses" during a speech on the floor of the United States Senate. An investigation was launched, which led to some reforms in FEMA procedures that helped the agency do a somewhat better job during [[Hurricane Andrew]], the next catastrophic hurricane to strike the United States.<ref name="FEMA-Katrina">Washburn, Gary. "[http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-050902daley,0,6429273.story?coll=chi-news-hed Daley 'shocked' at federal snub of offers to help] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050907073458/http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-050902daley,0,6429273.story?coll=chi-news-hed |date=September 7, 2005 }}." ''[[Chicago Tribune]].'' September 2, 2005. Retrieved on July 15, 2006.</ref> The economy of South Carolina continued to grow after Hugo, though some sectors did not benefit from recovery efforts. There was a 14&nbsp;percent increase in traffic accidents in Charleston in the wake of the hurricane. Delays in traffic in the city led to an estimated 35&nbsp;percent increase in vehicular operating costs in the months following the hurricane.{{sfn|FEMA|pp=9–12}}

=== Retirement ===
The devastation caused by Hugo led to the name being [[List of retired Atlantic hurricane names|retired]] in the spring of 1990 by the [[World Meteorological Organization]] from the rotating lists of Atlantic hurricane names. It was replaced with the name ''Humberto'' when the 1989 naming list was used next in [[1995 Atlantic hurricane season|1995]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Remembering Hurricane Hugo: 30 years later|date=September 22, 2019|url=https://www.wcnc.com/article/weather/hurricane/hurricane-central/sunday-read-remembering-hurricane-hugo-30-years-later/275-52a7c143-4055-49a2-bae8-8ea43f4e4a88|publisher=[[WCNC-TV]]|location=Charlotte, North Carolina|access-date=April 5, 2024}}</ref><ref name="WaitingWings">{{cite news |last1=Goldschmidt |first1=Keith |title=Waiting in the wings: Hurricane Humberto |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52398006/|via=Newspapers.com |access-date=May 29, 2020 |newspaper=The Courier-News |agency=Gannett News Service |date=June 3, 1990 |location=Bridgewater, New Jersey |page=A-6}}</ref><ref name="CutFromNames">{{cite news |title=Gilbert, Hugo cut from names for hurricanes |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52398122/|via=Newspapers.com |access-date=May 29, 2020 |newspaper=The Arizona Republic |agency=Scripps Howard |date=May 26, 1990 |location=Phoenix, Arizona |page=A3}}</ref>

=== Ecological aftermath ===
[[File:Cape hatteras 1989.jpg|thumb|Runoff along Cape Hatteras due to rainfall from Hugo|alt=View from the International Space Station of a plume of polluted waters entering the Atlantic]]
The defoliation of [[mangrove]]s and the introduction of [[surface runoff|freshwater runoff]] into brackish waters created [[anoxic waters|anoxic conditions]] that killed many fish in Guadeloupe's mangrove habitats; fish populations would recover by January 1990.<ref name="CoastalFishGuadeloupe">{{cite journal |last1=Bouchon |first1=Claude |last2=Bouchon-Navaro |first2=Yolande |last3=Louis |first3=Max |title=Changes in the Coastal Fish Communities Following Hurricane Hugo in Guadeloupe Island |journal=Atoll Research Bulletin |date=August 1994 |issue=422 |url=https://repository.si.edu/bitstream/handle/10088/4894/00422.pdf |via=Smithsonian DSpace Repository |access-date=April 18, 2020 |publisher=National Museum of Natural History |location=Washington, D.C. |doi=10.5479/si.00775630.422.1 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180723162715/https://repository.si.edu/bitstream/handle/10088/4894/00422.pdf |archive-date=July 23, 2018 |url-status=live}}  The original title of this article is "Changes in the Coastal Fish Communities Following Hurricane Hugo in Guadelope [sic] Island"</ref> The low [[species richness]] of mangrove forests was found to a contributing factor to Hugo's damage upon vegetation. Forests with a greater vertical extent and higher species richness were more protected from the hurricane's effects.<ref name="Imbert">{{cite journal |last1=Imbert |first1=Daniel |last2=Labbe |first2=Patrick |last3=Rousteau |first3=Alain |title=Hurricane Damage and Forest Structure in Guadeloupe, French West Indies |journal=Journal of Tropical Ecology |date=September 1996 |volume=12 |issue=5 |pages=663–680 |publisher=Cambridge University Press|doi=10.1017/S026646740000986X |jstor=2559968 |s2cid=84420794}} {{subscription required}}</ref> Bat populations in Montserrat dropped 20-fold in response to extensive habitat loss and community composition transitioned from one dominated by small [[frugivore]]s to one dominated by larger frugivores and omnivores.<ref name="Pedersen et al">{{cite journal |last1=Pedersen |first1=Scott C. |last2=Genoways |first2=Hugh H. |last3=Freeman |first3=Patricia W. |title=Notes on Bats from Montserrat (Lesser Antilles) with Comments Concerning the Effects of Hurricane Hugo |journal=Caribbean Journal of Science |date=1996 |volume=32 |issue=2 |url=https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1009&context=museummammalogy |via=University of Nebraska |access-date=May 30, 2020 |publisher=University of Puerto Rico |location=Mayaguez, Puerto Rico |format=PDF |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170705032054/http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1009&context=museummammalogy |archive-date=July 5, 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="BlownIn">{{cite web |last1=Pedersen |first1=Scott C. |title=Blown in, Blown off, and Blown up: the Bats of Montserrat, BWI. |url=http://www.sei.org/Bats.html |website=The Montserrat Volcano: Bats |publisher=Sustainable Ecosystems Institute |access-date=May 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19980628203437/http://www.sei.org/Bats.html |archive-date=June 28, 1998 |location=Portland, Oregon}}</ref> Extensive defoliation was documented in the forests of Dominica, Guadeloupe, Montserrat, and Puerto Rico, where vegetation was stripped bare of their flowers, fruits, and leaves.<ref name="AmericanBirds">{{cite magazine |last1=Haney |first1=J. Christopher |last2=Wunderle |first2=Joseph M. Jr. |last3=Arendt |first3=Wayne J. |title=Some Initial Effects of Hurricane Hugo on Endangered and Endemic Species of West Indian Birds |magazine=American Birds |url=https://seagrant.whoi.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/106/2015/01/WHOI-R-91-004-Haney-J.C.-Some-Initial-Effec.pdf |access-date=May 29, 2020 |publisher=American Birding Association |date=Summer 1991 |archive-date=August 1, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801171621/https://seagrant.whoi.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/106/2015/01/WHOI-R-91-004-Haney-J.C.-Some-Initial-Effec.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

A survey of bird populations in Saint Croix observed that Hugo's aftermath may have stressed birds more than the hurricane's immediate meteorological forces. Frugivorous, [[Nectarivore|nectarivorous]], and seminivorous bird populations declined most among avian diet groups as a result of vegetation loss. The [[bridled quail-dove]] (''Geotrygon mystacea'') was driven out of its traditional habitats on Saint Croix. Declines in the populations of certain bird species were also noted in [[Saint John, U.S. Virgin Islands|Saint John]]. The destruction of habitats forced the relocation of some avian species such as the [[pearly-eyed thrasher]] (''Margarops fuscatus'') and [[northern waterthrush]] (''Seiurus noveboracensis'').<ref name="Wauer">{{cite journal |last1=Wauer |first1=Roland H. |last2=Wunderle |first2=Joseph M. |title=The Effect of Hurricane Hugo on Bird Populations on St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands |journal=The Wilson Bulletin |date=1992 |volume=104 |issue=4 |pages=656–673 |publisher=Wilson Ornithological Society |jstor=4163223 |issn=0043-5643}} {{subscription required}}</ref> The populations or habitats of three endangered Puerto Rican birds were affected by Hugo: the [[Puerto Rican amazon]] (''Amazona vittata''), the [[Yellow-shouldered blackbird]] (''Agelaius xanthomus''), and the Puerto Rican [[plain pigeon]] (''Columba inornata wetmorei'').<ref name="AmericanBirds" /> El Yunque National Forest lost 15&nbsp;percent of its trees, valued at $5.2&nbsp;million. However, the increased exposure to sunlight following the loss of tree canopies led to increased diversity of plant species.<ref name="SeedsOfAStorm">{{cite news |last1=Hillinger |first1=Charles |title=Seeds of a Storm: A Puerto Rican Tropical Rain Forest Sprouts New Life in the Wake of Hurricane Hugo |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-05-20-vw-250-story.html |access-date=May 30, 2020 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=May 20, 1990 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200303021841/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-05-20-vw-250-story.html |archive-date=March 3, 2020 |url-status=live }}{{subscription required}}</ref> In Montserrat, the endemic [[Montserrat oriole]] (''Icterus oberi'') was driven out of the [[South Soufriere Hills]] after losing much of its habitat.<ref name="AmericanBirds" />

Sewage contamination and poor water quality briefly impacted shellfish populations along the coast of South Carolina. The turbulent action generated by Hugo in streams lowered concentrations of [[dissolved oxygen]] and increased concentrations of toxic [[phenol]]s. [[Nekton]] communities suffered increased mortality in river channels and marsh creeks near the Charleston harbor due to hypoxia and lowered salinity in the water, though their populations recovered within two months.{{sfn|FEMA|pp=5–8}} Increased salinization of coastal soil led to increased tree mortality and discoloration or defoliation of trees. These surge-battered forests were devoid of insects and terrestrial [[vertebrate]]s for six months, though their populations were well-below pre-storm levels. Benthic [[invertebrate]]s experienced a 97% decrease in population density but recovered to pre-storm levels in three months.<ref name="Gardner et al">{{cite journal |last1=Gardner |first1=L.R. |last2=Michener |first2=W.K. |last3=Williams |first3=T.M. |last4=Blood |first4=E.R. |last5=Kjerve |first5=B. |last6=Smock |first6=L.A. |last7=Lipscomb |first7=D.J. |last8=Gresham |first8=C. |title=Disturbance effects of hurricane Hugo on a pristine coastal landscape: North Inlet, South Carolina, USA |journal=Netherlands Journal of Sea Research |date=December 1992 |volume=30 |pages=249–263 |doi=10.1016/0077-7579(92)90063-K |publisher=Elsevier|bibcode=1992NJSR...30..249G }}</ref> At least 25&nbsp;coastal species of birds were displaced as far as {{cvt|200|mi}} inland by the storm.<ref name="HugoILM"/> Across the Carolinas, Hugo's winds increased the quantity of downed brush, timber, and debris by up to 15&nbsp;times their normal amounts, significantly increasing the risk of wildfires throughout the region.{{sfn|FEMA|pp=5–8}} FEMA designated $7&nbsp;million towards forest fire mitigation in Hugo's aftermath.<ref name="EhingerDamage"/>

===In popular culture===
* ''Hugo, la chanson du cyclone'' [Hugo, the song of the cyclone], [[Thomas Fersen]], [[1995 in music|1995]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://mobile.francetvinfo.fr/replay-radio/ces-chansons-qui-font-l-actu/ces-chansons-qui-font-l-actu-comment-chanter-apres-le-cyclone_2357529.html |title=Ces chansons qui font l'actu après le cyclone |date=September 9, 2017 |publisher=France TV Info |language=fr |trans-title=These songs that make the news after the cyclone |access-date=January 12, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180112160418/https://mobile.francetvinfo.fr/replay-radio/ces-chansons-qui-font-l-actu/ces-chansons-qui-font-l-actu-comment-chanter-apres-le-cyclone_2357529.html |archive-date=January 12, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref>
* ''Sois belle'' [Be beautiful], [[Experience 7|Expérience 7]], [[1989 in music|1989]] (national tribute to Guadeloupe after the passage of Hurricane Hugo)

== See also ==
{{Portal|Tropical cyclones}}
* [[List of North Carolina hurricanes (1980–1999)]]
* [[List of South Carolina hurricanes]]
* [[Hurricane Hazel|Hurricane Hazel (1954)]]&nbsp;– quickly moved ashore the Carolinas, causing widespread damage into eastern Canada
* [[Hurricane Gracie|Hurricane Gracie (1959)]]&nbsp;– made landfall on the south end of Edisto Island in South Carolina as a Category 4 hurricane
* [[Hurricane Georges|Hurricane Georges (1998)]]&nbsp;– impacted much of the Lesser and Greater Antilles at a similar strength
* [[Hurricane Maria|Hurricane Maria (2017)]]&nbsp;– wrought devastation across parts of the Lesser Antilles and Puerto Rico, leading to a significant humanitarian crisis
* [[Hurricane Lee (2023)]] – also achieved Category 5 status at a very easterly position

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
;Sources
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite web |last1=Berke |first1=Philip |last2=Wenger |first2=Dennis |title=Montserrat: Emergency Planning, Response and Recovery Related to Hurricane Hugo |date=1991 |url=https://hrrc.arch.tamu.edu/_common/documents/91-02R%20Berke%20%20Wenger.pdf |website=[[Texas A&M University]] |ref={{sfnRef|Berke and Wenger}} |access-date=May 31, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200207162330/https://hrrc.arch.tamu.edu/_common/documents/91-02R%20Berke%20%20Wenger.pdf |archive-date=February 7, 2020 |url-status=live}}
* {{cite book |editor-last1=Chung|editor-first1=Riley|title=Hurricane Hugo, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Charleston, South Carolina, September 17-22, 1989|via=The National Academies Press |date=1994 |doi=10.17226/1993 |publisher=National Research Council|isbn=978-0-309-04475-2|ref={{sfnRef|National Research Council}}}}
* {{cite web |editor1-last=Haymond |editor1-first=Jacqueline L. |editor2-last=Hook |editor2-first=Donal D. |editor3-last=Harms |editor3-first=William R. |title=Hurricane Hugo: South Carolina Forest Land Research and Management Related to the Storm |url=https://www.weather.gov/media/ilm/climate/Hugo/Hurricane%20Hugo%20South%20Carolina%20Forest%20Land%20Research%20and%20Management%20Related%20to%20the%20Storm.pdf |website=National Weather Service |publisher=United States Forest Service |ref={{sfnRef|US Forest Service}} |access-date=May 31, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180911203054/https://www.weather.gov/media/ilm/climate/Hugo/Hurricane%20Hugo%20South%20Carolina%20Forest%20Land%20Research%20and%20Management%20Related%20to%20the%20Storm.pdf |archive-date=September 11, 2018 |url-status=live}}
* {{cite web |title=Hurricane Hugo / September 10–22, 1989 |type=National Disaster Survey Report |date=May 1990 |url=https://www.hsdl.org/?view&did=780238 |website=Homeland Security Digital Library |publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |location=Silver Spring, Maryland |format=PDF |ref={{sfnRef|NOAA}}}}
* {{cite report |title=Learning from Hurricane Hugo: Implications for Public Policy |url=https://www.hsdl.org/?view&did=779123 |via=[[Homeland Security Digital Library]] |publisher=Federal Emergency Management Agency |access-date=April 10, 2020 |location=Washington, D.C. |format=PDF |date=June 1992 |ref={{sfnRef|FEMA}} }}
* {{cite report |last1=Miller |first1=H. Crane |title=Hurricane Hugo: Learning from South Carolina |date=October 1990 |url=https://www.weather.gov/media/ilm/climate/Hugo/Hurricane%20Hugo%20Learning%20from%20South%20Carolina%20Miller%20Oct%201990.pdf |access-date=May 31, 2020 |ref={{sfnRef|Miller}} |publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180917070851/https://www.weather.gov/media/ilm/climate/Hugo/Hurricane%20Hugo%20Learning%20from%20South%20Carolina%20Miller%20Oct%201990.pdf |archive-date=September 17, 2018 |url-status=live}}
* {{cite web |last1=Rubin |first1=Claire B. |last2=Popkin |first2=Roy |title=Disaster Recovery After Hurricane Hugo in South Carolina |url=http://www.colorado.edu/IBS/hazards/publications/wp/wp69.pdfns/wp/wp69.pdf |publisher=The Natural Hazards Research and Applications Information Center |access-date=May 30, 2020 |ref={{sfnRef|Rubin and Popkin}} |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130620145543/http://www.colorado.edu/IBS/hazards/publications/wp/wp69.pdf |archive-date=June 20, 2013 |location=Boulder, Colorado |date=January 1990}}
* {{cite web |last1=Sheffield |first1=Raymond M. |last2=Thompson |first2=Michael T. |title=Hurricane Hugo: Effects on South Carolina's Forest Resource |date=June 1992 |url=https://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/pubs/rp/rp_se284.pdf |access-date=May 31, 2020 |ref={{sfnRef|Sheffield and Thompson}} |website=United States Department of Agriculture |location=Asheville, North Carolina |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170508093304/https://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/pubs/rp/rp_se284.pdf |archive-date=May 8, 2017 |url-status=live}}
* {{cite journal |title=Storm Data |journal=Storm Data |date=September 1989 |volume=31 |issue=9 |url=https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/orders/IPS/IPS-C8A6AF86-239D-4366-AC2D-05459B93FE2B.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200421003319/https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/orders/IPS/IPS-C8A6AF86-239D-4366-AC2D-05459B93FE2B.pdf |archive-date=April 21, 2020 |access-date=April 20, 2020 |publisher=National Centers for Environmental Information |location=Asheville, North Carolina |issn=0039-1972 |ref={{sfnRef|"Storm Data"}}}}
{{refend}}
;Citations
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book |last1=Duteil |first1=Alain |language=fr |title=Hugo, ou, L'hiver en Guadeloupe |date=1989 |publisher=Centre d'édition et de diffusion international du livre |isbn=978-2-908324-01-3}}
* Guimaraes, Paulo, Frank L. Hefner, and Douglas P. Woodward. "Wealth and income effects of natural disasters: An econometric analysis of Hurricane Hugo." ''Review of Regional Studies'' 23.2 (1993): 97.
* {{cite journal |last1=Koussoula-Bonneton |first1=Athanasia |title=Le passage dévastateur d'un ouragan: conséquences socio-économiques. Le cas du cyclone Hugo en Guadeloupe |journal=La Météorologie |date=February 2014 |volume=8 |issue=7 |page=25 |doi=10.4267/2042/53441 |publisher=University of the French West Indies |location=Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe |language=fr |doi-access=free}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Scatena |first1=F.N. |last2=Larsen |first2=M.C. |year=1991 |title=Physical Aspects of Hurricane Hugo in Puerto Rico |journal=Biotropica |volume=23 |issue=4 |pages=317–323 |doi=10.2307/2388247 |jstor= 2388247|bibcode=1991Biotr..23..317S |url=https://zenodo.org/record/1235109}}

== External links ==
*{{commons category-inline}}
*[https://www.postandcourier.com/photo_galleries/photos-hurricane-hugo-slammed-into-s-c-30-years-ago/collection_429fdde6-d8ae-11e9-a638-b74e661f8130.html Photo gallery of Hurricane Hugo's impacts in South Carolina]&nbsp;– ''[[The Post and Courier]]''
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3YHCliJljs Helicopter footage of damage in Pawleys' Island, South Carolina]&nbsp;– [[YouTube]]

{{s-start}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Hurricane Alicia|Alicia]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of costliest Atlantic hurricanes|Costliest Atlantic hurricanes on record]]|years=[[1989 Atlantic hurricane season|1989]]}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Hurricane Andrew|Andrew]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Retired Atlantic hurricanes}}
{{Category 5 Atlantic hurricanes}}
{{1989 Atlantic hurricane season buttons}}
{{Presidency of George H. W. Bush}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hugo}}
[[Category:1989 Atlantic hurricane season]]
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