 The 1920s brought several favorable conditions that helped the land and population boom , one of which was an absence of any severe storms . The last severe hurricane , in 1906 , had struck the Florida Keys . Many homes were constructed hastily and poorly as a result of this lull in storms . However , on September 18 , 1926 , a storm that became known as the 1926 Miami Hurricane struck with winds over 140 miles per hour ( 230 km / h ) , and caused massive devastation . The storm surge was as high as 15 feet ( 4 @.@ 6 m ) in some places . Henry Flagler 's opulent Royal Palm Hotel was destroyed along with many other hotels and buildings . Most people who died did so when they ran out into the street in disbelief while the eye of the hurricane passed over , not knowing the wind was coming in from the other direction . " The lull lasted 35 minutes , and during that time the streets of the city became crowded with people " , wrote Richard Gray , the local weather chief . " As a result , many lives were lost during the second phase of the storm . " In Miami alone , 115 people were counted dead — although the true figure may have been as high as 175 , because death totals were racially segregated . More than 25 @,@ 000 people were homeless in the city . The town of Moore Haven , bordering Lake Okeechobee , was hardest hit . A levee built of muck collapsed , drowning almost 400 of the town 's entire 1 @,@ 200 residents . The tops of Lake Okeechobee levees were only 18 to 24 inches ( 46 to 61 cm ) above the lake itself and the engineers were aware of the danger . Two days before the hurricane , an engineer predicted , " [ i ] f we have a blow , even a gale , Moore Haven is going under water " . The engineer lost his wife and daughter in the flood . 
