By September, 1926, the population of Dade County and the City of Miami had blossomed to well over 100,000; more than doubling from the census figure of 42,753 in 1920 - construction was everywhere. New buildings were constantly starting on Miami Beach, which had been built across Biscayne Bay on a series of barrier islands, bulldozed from their mangrove beginnings. Most of the new residents were unfamiliar with tropical storms and hurricanes. According to the National Weather Service, On September 11, 1926 a few ships in the central Atlantic reported on a tropical system moving west. It passed north of the Leeward Islands and Puerto Rico on the 14th, 15th, and 16th, avoiding normal channels of Caribbean information. In those days before satellite pictures and reconnaissance aircraft, the hurricane remained somewhat of a mystery, with only a few ship reports to tell of its existence. As late as the morning of September 17, less than 24 hours before the category 4 storm's effects would begin in South Florida, no warnings had been issued. At noon, the Miami Weather Bureau Office was authorized to post storm warnings. When barometric pressure began to fall rapidly around 11 PM the night of September 17, hurricane warnings were issued. The eye of the hurricane passed over downtown Miami and parts of Cocoanut Grove and South Miami around 6:30 AM on September 18. The residents of the city, unfamiliar with hurricanes, thought the storm was over and emerged from their places of refuge out into the city streets. People even began returning to the mainland from Miami Beach. The lull lasted only about 35 minutes, during which the streets became crowded with people. The worst part of the hurricane, with onshore southeasterly winds bringing a 10-foot storm surge onto Miami Beach and the barrier islands, began around 7 AM and continued the rest of the morning. At the height of the storm surge, the water from the Atlantic extended all the way across Miami Beach and Biscayne Bay and into the City of Miami for several blocks. On October 9, well after the hurricane, the Red Cross reported that 372 persons had died in the storm and over 6,000 persons were injured. Damages in 1926 dollars were estimated at $105 million, which would be more than $164 billion in 2021 dollars.
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