Hurricane Katrina (2005)

On the evening of Thursday, August 25th, 2005, Hurricane Katrina traveled across south Florida, bisecting Miami-Dade County, producing large amounts of rain (up to 20″ in some areas) and wind gusts exceeding 90 mph. MBC, located near the coast in Coral Gables (southwest of the City of Miami), was significantly impacted.

Once the collections were assessed, the magnitude of the damage was better understood. Following are data of plants damaged or destroyed by the storm.

Destroyed Damaged1 Toppled2
  Cycads 0 34 67
….. Palms 48 899 207
….. Dicots 85 296 124
Total
133 1,229 398
1 This category includes plants that sustained damage to leaves/branches and/or buds and require trimming.
2 Plants in this category are either leaning or completely toppled, but they have a good chance of surviving once they are righted and staked.

Photos of Damage

Photos of Cleanup Effort

With thousands of plants, historical properties, and a full staff of locals, planning and responding to major weather disasters can be a challenging undertaking. You can help us do both by contributing to our Disaster Recovery Fund.

Keep Us Prepared