The 1928 San Felipe-Okeechobee Hurricane killed four thousand people, including two thousand in the US. Residents of Palm Beach had plenty of warning, but didn’t leave.
The Palm Beach Post – Google News Archive Search
It was a bad day for tornadoes, too.
CNN would be hysterical if this happened now.
The Philippines cyclone hasn’t made it to the list.
“Deadliest World Tropical Cyclones”
http://www.wunderground.com/hurricane/deadlyworld.asp?MR=1