Tracking westward, the wave spawned an area of low pressure two days later, which quickly strengthened into a tropical depression.

The storm reached its peak intensity on September 20 with winds of 155 mph (249 km/h), just below Category 5 status on the Saffir–Simpson scale.

[2] Over the following five days, the hurricane tracked through the Greater Antilles, causing over 600 fatalities, mainly in the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

[2] More than 1,600 people sought shelter in public buildings on Puerto Rico and the nearby United States Virgin Islands.

[3] Banks and schools closed and flights were canceled as Puerto Rico braced for the upcoming impact.

Upon making landfall in Puerto Rico, Hurricane Georges brought 10 and 20-foot storm surges in succession.

A Bayamón man was found dead from carbon monoxide poisoning after fumes entered his store.

[8] The Church World Service donated 1,000 bed sheets, 200 light-weight blankets, 1,000 cotton blankets, 2,000 health/first aid kits, 500 kerosene lanterns, 6,000 vials of water purification tablets, 1,000 school kits, 350 layettes, 500 flashlights, 500 sets of batteries, and 1,000 air mattresses to the Puerto Rico Council of Churches and other organizations.

The United States Army Corps of Engineers purchased 1 million pounds of ice and gallons of water for distribution.

[11] Federal and Commonwealth officials created a 5-year, $1.2 billion plan to build and replace homes destroyed by Georges.

The money for this rebuilding process was to be funded by state and local governments and houses were not to be built in landslide-prone areas.

FEMA also ordered that they be built stronger as Georges devastated houses made out of wood or corrugated metal.

The Puerto Rico Department of Transportation and Public Works started an emergency response to clean up the roads.