Historical Marker for 1926 Hurricane

WFO MIAMI

Dedication Ceremony for State of Florida Historical Marker Commemorating the 1926 Great Miami Hurricane

(Additional Info on the 1926 Miami Hurricane)

September 18, 2007

On September 18, 2007, representatives from the National Weather Service's Miami Forecast Office (WFO Miami), National Hurricane Center and the state of Florida gathered in downtown Miami to dedicate the State of Florida Historical Marker commemorating the 1926 Great Miami Hurricane. The marker is located at the intersection of NE 1st Avenue and NE 1st Street, next to the old Federal Building which housed the Miami Weather Bureau Office from 1914 to 1927.

Detailed information on the Great Miami Hurricane can be found here. A history of the Weather Service in Miami, including additional information on the 1926 Great Miami Hurricane, can be found here.

The event was organized and moderated by WFO Miami Meteorologist in Charge Rusty Pfost (above). Invited speakers included Scott Robins, owner of the historic building, Dr. Ed Rappaport, Acting Director of the National Hurricane Center, and Craig Fugate, Director of Florida Division of Emergency Management. Several South Florida media outlets covered the ceremony, including almost every single English and Spanish TV station and both major daily newspapers.

The dedication of the historical marker, held on the 81st anniversary of the Great Miami Hurricane, served as a recognition of the significance of that storm as well as the adjacent building which at one time was the home of the Miami Weather Bureau Office.

The marker is even more important because it will be a source of perpetual hurricane preparedness for the residents of Miami-Dade County and South Florida. We only need to look to the 1926 Great Miami Hurricane to see how a category 4 hurricane catastrophically affected the rapidly developing Miami area. The marker will tell the story of what happened in the past so that we will be better prepared in the future.

Historic Old U.S. Courthouse and Post Office Building Owner Scott Robins

NHC Acting Director Ed Rappaport

Florida DEM Director Craig Fugate

Crowd at Dedication Ceremony, looking north on 1st Avenue NE