Hurricane Lenny was originally forecast to strike Puerto Rico, although it remained south of the island. Beginning on November 17, Lenny affected Puerto Rico with gusty winds and heavy rainfall. Rainfall in the days prior to Lenny's approach left areas susceptible to flooding, which caused many rivers in the northeastern portion of the island to overflow their banks following the storm. Such flooding forced towns to evacuate along the rivers, and also resulted in the closure of secondary and primary highways. The heavy rains also caused mudslides and rockslides. The peak rainfall on the island was in Jayuya in central Puerto Rico. Tides in San Juan were about above normal. There, high seas washed a freighter ashore. Winds in the Puerto Rican mainland were not significant, gusting to in Ceiba. The storm left 22,000 people without power and 103,000 people without water. Because of the heavy rainfall, about 200 farmers in southeastern Puerto Rico sustained about $19 million in crop damage (1999 USD). In the affected region, the heavy rainfall destroyed 80 percent of the vegetables and 50 percent of the plantains. Damage throughout the island totaled $105 million (1999 USD).