Hurricane Andrew was a very powerful and destructive
Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that struck the
Bahamas
The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to 88% of the ar ...
,
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
, and
Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
in August 1992. It is the most destructive hurricane to ever hit Florida in terms of structures damaged or destroyed, and remained the costliest in financial terms until
Hurricane Irma
Hurricane Irma was an extremely powerful Cape Verde hurricane that caused widespread destruction across its path in September 2017. Irma was the first Category 5 hurricane to strike the Leeward Islands on record, followed by Maria two ...
surpassed it
25 years later
''25 Years Later'' is the sixteenth studio album by European-American pop group The Kelly Family. It was released by license to Airforce1 Records, a division of Universal Music, on 25 October 2019 throughout most of Central Europe.
Track listing
...
. Andrew was also the strongest landfalling hurricane in the United States in decades and the
costliest hurricane to strike anywhere in the country, until it was surpassed by
Katrina
Katrina or Katrine may refer to:
People
* Katrina (given name)
* Katrine (given name)
Meteorology
* List of storms named Katrina, a list of tropical cyclones designated as Katrina
** Hurricane Katrina, an exceptionally powerful Atlantic hurrican ...
in
2005. In addition, Andrew is one of only four tropical cyclones to make landfall in the continental United States as a Category 5, alongside the
1935 Labor Day hurricane
The Great Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 was the most intense Atlantic hurricane to make landfall on record by pressure, with winds of up to 185 mph (297 km/h). The fourth tropical cyclone, third tropical storm, second hurricane, and sec ...
,
1969's Camille, and
2018's Michael
Michael may refer to:
People
* Michael (given name), a given name
* Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael
Given name "Michael"
* Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian an ...
. While the storm also caused major damage in the
Bahamas
The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to 88% of the ar ...
and
Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
, the greatest impact was felt in
South Florida, where the storm made landfall as a Category 5 hurricane, with 1-minute sustained wind speeds as high as 165 mph (265 km/h) and a gust as high as . Passing directly through the city of
Homestead
Homestead may refer to:
*Homestead (buildings), a farmhouse and its adjacent outbuildings; by extension, it can mean any small cluster of houses
* Homestead (unit), a unit of measurement equal to 160 acres
*Homestead principle, a legal concept t ...
in
Dade County (now known as Miami-Dade County), the hurricane stripped many homes of all but their concrete foundations. In total, Andrew destroyed more than 63,500 houses, damaged more than 124,000 others, caused $27.3 billion in damage (equivalent to $ billion in ), and left 65 people dead.
Andrew began as a
tropical depression
A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...
over the eastern Atlantic Ocean on August 16. After spending a week without significantly strengthening itself in the central Atlantic, the storm
rapidly intensified
In meteorology, rapid intensification is a situation where a tropical cyclone intensifies dramatically in a short period of time. The United States National Hurricane Center defines rapid intensification as an increase in the maximum sustained wi ...
into a powerful Category 5 hurricane while moving westward towards the Bahamas on August 23. Though Andrew briefly weakened to Category 4 status while traversing the Bahamas, it regained Category 5 intensity before making landfall in Florida on
Elliott Key
Elliott Key is the northernmost of the true Florida Keys (those 'keys' which are ancient coral reefs lifted above the present sea level), and the largest key north of Key Largo. It is located entirely within Biscayne National Park, in Miami-Dade ...
and then Homestead on August 24. With a barometric pressure of at the time of landfall in Florida, Andrew is the sixth most-intense hurricane to strike the United States. Several hours later, the hurricane emerged over the
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United ...
at Category 4 strength, with the
Gulf Coast of the United States in its dangerous path. After turning northwestward and weakening further, Andrew moved ashore near
Morgan City, Louisiana, as a low-end Category 3 storm. The small hurricane curved northeastward after landfall and rapidly lost its intensity, becoming
extratropical
Extratropical cyclones, sometimes called mid-latitude cyclones or wave cyclones, are low-pressure areas which, along with the anticyclones of high-pressure areas, drive the weather over much of the Earth. Extratropical cyclones are capable of p ...
on August 28, and merging with a
frontal system
A weather front is a boundary separating air masses for which several characteristics differ, such as air density, wind, temperature, and humidity. Disturbed and unstable weather due to these differences often arises along the boundary. For ins ...
over the southern
Appalachian Mountains
The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, (french: Appalaches), are a system of mountains in eastern to northeastern North America. The Appalachians first formed roughly 480 million years ago during the Ordovician Period. They ...
on August 29.
Andrew first inflicted structural damage as it moved through the Bahamas, especially in
Cat Cays, lashing the islands with
storm surge,
hurricane-force winds
The Beaufort scale is an empirical measure that relates wind speed to observed conditions at sea or on land. Its full name is the Beaufort wind force scale.
History
The scale was devised in 1805 by the Irish hydrographer Francis Beaufort ...
, and
tornado
A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, altho ...
es. About 800 houses were destroyed in the archipelago, and there was substantial damage to the transport, water, sanitation, agriculture, and fishing sectors. Andrew left four dead and $250 million in damage throughout the Bahamas. In parts of southern Florida, Andrew produced severe winds; a wind gust of 177 mph (282 km/h) was observed at a house in
Perrine. The cities of
Florida City
Florida City is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. It is the southernmost municipality in the South Florida metropolitan area. Florida City is primarily a Miami suburb and a major agricultural area. As of the 2020 census, it ...
, Homestead,
Cutler Ridge
Cutler Bay is an incorporated town in Miami-Dade County, Florida established in 2005, with a population of approximately 45,425 as of 2020. With 45,425 people, Cutler Bay is in 9th place of the top 10 most populous municipalities of the 34 m ...
, and parts of
Kendall received the brunt of Andrew. As many as 1.4 million people lost power at the height of the storm; some for more than one month. In the
Everglades
The Everglades is a natural region of tropical wetlands in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Florida, comprising the southern half of a large drainage basin within the Neotropical realm. The system begins near Orlando with the Kissim ...
, 70,000 acres (280 km
2) of trees were downed, while invasive
Burmese pythons began
inhabiting the region after a nearby facility housing them was destroyed. Though Andrew was moving fast, rainfall in Florida was substantial in a few areas (less in others); the rainfall peaked at 13.98 inches (355 mm) in western Dade County. Andrew was considered a "dry hurricane" by multiple media networks. In Florida, Andrew killed 44 and left a then-record $25 billion in damage.
Prior to making landfall in Louisiana on August 26, Andrew caused extensive damage to
oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf Coast of the United States, also known as the Gulf South, is the coastline along the Southern United States where they meet the Gulf of Mexico. The coastal states that have a shoreline on the Gulf of Mexico are Texas, Louisiana, Mississ ...
, leading to $500 million in losses for oil companies. It produced hurricane-force winds along its path through Louisiana, damaging large stretches of power lines that left about 230,000 people without electricity. Over 80% of trees in the
Atchafalaya River
The Atchafalaya River ( french: La Rivière Atchafalaya, es, Río Atchafalaya) is a distributary of the Mississippi River and Red River in south central Louisiana in the United States. It flows south, just west of the Mississippi River, and ...
basin were downed, and the agriculture there was devastated. Throughout the basin and
Bayou Lafourche
Bayou Lafourche ( ), originally called Chetimachas River or La Fourche des Chetimaches, (the fork of the Chitimacha), is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed June 20, 2011 ba ...
, 187 million freshwater fish were killed in the hurricane. With 23,000 houses damaged, 985 others destroyed, and 1,951 mobile homes demolished, property losses in Louisiana exceeded $1.5 billion. The hurricane caused the deaths of 17 people in the state, 6 of whom drowned offshore. Andrew spawned at least 28 tornadoes along the Gulf Coast, especially in
Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = "Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County
, LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham
, area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...
,
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
, and
Mississippi
Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...
. In total, Andrew left 65 dead and caused $27.3 billion in damage. Andrew is currently the eighth-costliest Atlantic hurricane to hit the United States, behind only
Katrina
Katrina or Katrine may refer to:
People
* Katrina (given name)
* Katrine (given name)
Meteorology
* List of storms named Katrina, a list of tropical cyclones designated as Katrina
** Hurricane Katrina, an exceptionally powerful Atlantic hurrican ...
(2005),
Ike
Ike or IKE may refer to:
People
* Ike (given name), a list of people with the name or nickname
* Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890–1969), Supreme Commander of the Allied forces in Europe during World War II and President of the United States Surname
...
(
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
),
Sandy (
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...
),
Harvey
Harvey, Harveys or Harvey's may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''Harvey'' (play), a 1944 play by Mary Chase about a man befriended by an invisible anthropomorphic rabbit
* Harvey Awards ("Harveys"), one of the most important awards ...
(2017),
Irma (2017),
Maria
Maria may refer to:
People
* Mary, mother of Jesus
* Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages
Place names Extraterrestrial
* 170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877
* Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, ...
(2017), and
Ida
Ida or IDA may refer to:
Astronomy
* Ida Facula, a mountain on Amalthea, a moon of Jupiter
*243 Ida, an asteroid
*International Docking Adapter, a docking adapter for the International Space Station
Computing
*Intel Dynamic Acceleration, a techn ...
(2021) as well as the ninth-costliest Atlantic hurricane, behind the aforementioned systems and
Wilma (2005). The storm is the third-strongest hurricane to hit the U.S. mainland by wind speed (165 mph; 265 km/h).
Meteorological history
A
tropical wave moved off the west coast of Africa on August 14. A
ridge of high pressure to its north caused the wave to move quickly westward. An area of
convection
Convection is single or multiphase fluid flow that occurs spontaneously due to the combined effects of material property heterogeneity and body forces on a fluid, most commonly density and gravity (see buoyancy). When the cause of the conve ...
developed along the wave axis to the south of the
Cape Verde islands, and on August 15,
meteorologist
A meteorologist is a scientist who studies and works in the field of meteorology aiming to understand or predict Earth's atmospheric phenomena including the weather. Those who study meteorological phenomena are meteorologists in research, while t ...
s began classifying the system with the
Dvorak technique
The Dvorak technique (developed between 1969 and 1984 by Vernon Dvorak) is a widely used system to estimate tropical cyclone intensity (which includes tropical depression, tropical storm, and hurricane/typhoon/intense tropical cyclone intensitie ...
. The thunderstorm activity became more concentrated, and narrow spiral
rainbands
A rainband is a cloud and precipitation structure associated with an area of rainfall which is significantly elongated. Rainbands can be stratiform or convective, and are generated by differences in temperature. When noted on weather radar imag ...
began to develop around a
center of circulation. It is estimated that Tropical Depression Three developed late on August 16, about east-southeast of
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate) ...
.
Embedded within the deep easterlies, the depression tracked west-northwestward at .
Initially, moderate
wind shear
Wind shear (or windshear), sometimes referred to as wind gradient, is a difference in wind speed and/or direction over a relatively short distance in the atmosphere. Atmospheric wind shear is normally described as either vertical or horizont ...
prevented strengthening, until a decrease in shear allowed the depression to intensify into Tropical Storm Andrew at 12:00
UTC on August 17.
By early August 18, the storm maintained convection near the center with spiral bands to its west as the winds increased to .
Shortly thereafter, the storm began weakening because of increased southwesterly wind shear from an upper-level low.
On August 19, a
Hurricane Hunters flight into the storm failed to locate a well-defined center
and on the following day, a flight found that the cyclone had degenerated to the extent that only a diffuse low-level circulation center remained; observations indicated the
barometric pressure
Atmospheric pressure, also known as barometric pressure (after the barometer), is the pressure within the atmosphere of Earth. The standard atmosphere (symbol: atm) is a unit of pressure defined as , which is equivalent to 1013.25 millibars, 7 ...
rose to an unusually high . The flight indicated that Andrew maintained a vigorous circulation aloft. After the
upper-level low
A cold-core low, also known as an upper level low or cold-core cyclone, is a cyclone aloft which has an associated cold pool of air residing at high altitude within the Earth's troposphere, without a frontal structure. It is a low pressure syste ...
weakened and split into a
trough, the wind shear decreased over the storm. A strong high pressure system then developed over the southeastern United States, which built eastward and caused Andrew to turn to the west.
Convection became more organized as upper-level
outflow
Outflow may refer to:
*Capital outflow, the capital leaving a particular economy
*Bipolar outflow, in astronomy, two continuous flows of gas from the poles of a star
*Outflow (hydrology), the discharge of a lake or other reservoir system
* Outflow ...
became better established.
An
eye formed, and Andrew attained hurricane status early on August 22, about east-southeast of
Nassau, Bahamas.
In the forecast issued six hours after becoming a hurricane, the cyclone was predicted to make
landfall
Landfall is the event of a storm moving over land after being over water. More broadly, and in relation to human travel, it refers to 'the first land that is reached or seen at the end of a journey across the sea or through the air, or the fact ...
near
Jupiter, Florida
Jupiter is the northernmost town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. According to the 2020 Census, the town had a population of 61,047 as of April 1, 2020. It is 84 miles north of Miami, and the northernmost community in the Miami met ...
, with winds of 105 mph (170 km/h) on August 25.
This underestimated both the strength and the speed of the storm, which would eventually make landfall in South Florida.
![Hurricane Andrew sequence](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/15/Hurricane_Andrew_sequence.jpg)
The hurricane accelerated westward into an area of highly favorable conditions, and began to rapidly intensify late on August 22; in a 24‑hour period the atmospheric pressure dropped by to a minimum of .
On August 23, the storm attained Category 5 status on the
Saffir–Simpson hurricane scale, reaching
peak winds of 175 mph (280 km/h) a short distance off
Eleuthera
Eleuthera () refers both to a single island in the archipelagic state of The Commonwealth of the Bahamas and to its associated group of smaller islands. Eleuthera forms a part of the Great Bahama Bank. The island of Eleuthera incorporates the ...
island in the Bahamas at 18:00 UTC.
Despite its intensity, Andrew was a small tropical cyclone, with winds of extending out only about 90 mi (150 km) from the center. After reaching that intensity, the hurricane underwent an
eyewall replacement cycle
In meteorology, eyewall replacement cycles, also called concentric eyewall cycles, naturally occur in intense tropical cyclones, generally with winds greater than , or major hurricanes ( Category 3 or above). When tropical cyclones reach this int ...
.
At 21:00 UTC on August 23, Andrew made landfall on Eleuthera as a Category 5 hurricane, with winds of .
The cyclone weakened further while crossing the
Bahama Banks
The Bahama Banks are the submerged carbonate platforms that make up much of the Bahama Archipelago. The term is usually applied in referring to either the Great Bahama Bank around Andros Island, or the Little Bahama Bank of Grand Bahama Island ...
, and at 01:00 UTC on August 24, Andrew hit the southern
Berry Islands
The Berry Islands are a chain of islands and a district of the Bahamas, covering about of the northwestern part of the Out Islands.
The Berry Islands consist of about thirty islands and over one hundred small islands or cays, often referred t ...
of the Bahamas as a Category 4 hurricane, with winds of .
As it crossed over the warm waters of the
Gulf Stream, the hurricane rapidly re-intensified as the eye decreased in size and its eyewall convection deepened.
At 08:40 UTC on August 24, Andrew struck
Elliott Key
Elliott Key is the northernmost of the true Florida Keys (those 'keys' which are ancient coral reefs lifted above the present sea level), and the largest key north of Key Largo. It is located entirely within Biscayne National Park, in Miami-Dade ...
as a Category 5 hurricane, with winds of and a pressure of . About 25 minutes after its first Florida landfall, Andrew made another landfall just northeast of Homestead, with a slightly lower pressure of .
This barometric pressure made Andrew the most intense hurricane to strike the United States since
Hurricane Camille
Hurricane Camille was the second most intense tropical cyclone on record to strike the United States, behind the 1935 Labor Day hurricane. The most intense storm of the 1969 Atlantic hurricane season, Camille originated as a tropical depression ...
in
1969
This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon.
Events January
* January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco.
* January 5
**Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...
and the strongest tropical cyclone to make landfall in Florida since the
Labor Day hurricane
The Great Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 was the most intense Atlantic hurricane to make landfall on record by pressure, with winds of up to 185 mph (297 km/h). The fourth tropical cyclone, third tropical storm, second hurricane, and se ...
of
1935.
The United States would not experience another landfall from a hurricane at Category 5 intensity until
Hurricane Michael
Hurricane Michael was a very powerful and destructive tropical cyclone that became the first Category 5 hurricane to make landfall in the contiguous United States since Andrew in 1992. It was the third-most intense Atlantic hurricane to m ...
in
2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...
.
As the eye moved onshore in Florida, the convection in the eyewall strengthened due to increased convergence, and Hurricane Hunters reported a warmer eyewall temperature than two hours prior. However, Andrew weakened as it continued further inland, and after crossing southern Florida in four hours, the storm emerged into the Gulf of Mexico with winds of 130 mph (210 km/h).
In the Gulf of Mexico, the eye remained well-defined as the hurricane turned to the west-northwest, a change due to the weakening of the ridge to its north.
Andrew steadily re-intensified over the Gulf of Mexico, reaching winds of 145 mph (235 km/h) late on August 25.
As the high pressure system to its north weakened, a strong mid-latitude trough approached the area from the northwest. This caused the hurricane to decelerate to the northwest, and winds decreased as Andrew approached the
Gulf Coast of the United States.
At 08:30 UTC on August 26, the cyclone made landfall about 20 mi (30 km) west-southwest of Morgan City, Louisiana, with winds of .
Andrew weakened rapidly as it turned to the north and northeast, falling to tropical storm intensity within 10 hours. After entering Mississippi, the cyclone deteriorated to tropical depression status early on August 27. Accelerating northeastward, the depression began merging with the approaching
frontal system
A weather front is a boundary separating air masses for which several characteristics differ, such as air density, wind, temperature, and humidity. Disturbed and unstable weather due to these differences often arises along the boundary. For ins ...
, and by midday on August 28, Andrew had lost its tropical identity while located over the southern
Appalachian Mountains
The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, (french: Appalaches), are a system of mountains in eastern to northeastern North America. The Appalachians first formed roughly 480 million years ago during the Ordovician Period. They ...
.
The storm's remnants continued moving towards the northeast, fully merging with the remnants of
Hurricane Lester and the frontal zone over the
Mid-Atlantic, in
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
, on August 29.
Post-analysis on Andrew revealed that the storm was often stronger than operationally reported between early on August 22 and early on August 26. In real time, the
National Hurricane Center assessed its peak intensity as ,
which was upgraded to 155 mph (250 km/h) in a post-storm analysis after the season ended.
However, a 2004 paper by
Christopher Landsea
Christopher William "Chris" Landsea is an American meteorologist, formerly a research meteorologist with the Hurricane Research Division of the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory at NOAA, and now the Science and Operations Offi ...
and others concluded that Andrew became a Category 5 hurricane near the Bahamas on August 23 and reached maximum sustained winds of 175 mph (280 km/h). The paper also indicated that Andrew briefly re-intensified into a Category 5 hurricane around the time of landfall in South Florida early on August 24. The storm was found to have been slightly stronger than originally assessed while approaching Louisiana, but the landfall winds were decreased from 120 mph (195 km/h) to 115 mph (185 km/h).
Preparations
Bahamas
Bahamas Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham
The Right Honourable Hubert Alexander Ingraham, PC (born 4 August 1947) is a Bahamian politician who was Prime Minister of the Bahamas from August 1992 to May 2002 and again from May 2007 to May 2012. He is a member of the Free National Movem ...
, who took office while the storm was active, urged residents to "take this hurricane seriously".
Before the hurricane passed through the Bahamas, forecasters predicted a
storm surge of up to , as well as up to of rain.
On August 22,
hurricane watches were issued from
Andros
Andros ( el, Άνδρος, ) is the northernmost island of the Greek Cyclades archipelago, about southeast of Euboea, and about north of Tinos. It is nearly long, and its greatest breadth is . It is for the most part mountainous, with many ...
and
Eleuthera
Eleuthera () refers both to a single island in the archipelagic state of The Commonwealth of the Bahamas and to its associated group of smaller islands. Eleuthera forms a part of the Great Bahama Bank. The island of Eleuthera incorporates the ...
islands northward through
Grand Bahama
Grand Bahama is the northernmost of the islands of the Bahamas, with the town of West End located east of Palm Beach, Florida. It is the third largest island in the Bahamas island chain of approximately 700 islands and 2,400 cays. The island i ...
and
Great Abaco
Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements
* Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size
* Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent
People
* List of people known as "the Great"
*Artel Great (born ...
. They were upgraded to hurricane warnings later that day, and on August 23, additional warnings were issued for the central Bahamas, including
Cat Island,
Exuma
Exuma is a district of The Bahamas, consisting of over 365 islands, also called cays.
The largest of the cays is Great Exuma, which is 37 mi (60 km) in length and joined to another island, Little Exuma, by a small bridge. The capital ...
,
San Salvador Island
San Salvador Island (known as Watling's Island from the 1680s until 1925) is an island and district of The Bahamas. It is widely believed that during Christopher Columbus's first expedition to the New World, this island was the first land h ...
, and
Long Island, Bahamas
Long Island is an island in The Bahamas that is split by the Tropic of Cancer. It is one of the Districts of the Bahamas and is known as the most scenic island in the Bahamas. Its capital is Clarence Town. The population of Long Island is 3,094 in ...
. All watches and warnings were discontinued on August 24.
Advance warning was credited for the low death toll in the country.
A total of 58 shelters were opened at churches, government buildings, and schools.
Florida
![HurricaneAndrew](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9a/HurricaneAndrew.jpg)
Initially, forecasters predicted tides up to above normal along the east coast of Florida, near the potential location of landfall. Rainfall was projected to be between along the path of the storm. In addition, the National Hurricane Center noted the likelihood of isolated tornadoes in Central and South Florida during the passage of Andrew on August 23 and 24. Several tropical storm and hurricane warnings were issued for much of Central and South Florida, from
Titusville on the east coast to
Venice
Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...
on the west coast. Included in the warnings were
Lake Okeechobee
Lake Okeechobee (), also known as Florida's Inland Sea, is the largest freshwater lake in the U.S. state of Florida. It is the tenth largest natural freshwater lake among the 50 states of the United States and the second-largest natural freshwa ...
and all of the
Florida Keys. By 18:00 UTC on August 24, all watches and warnings issued were discontinued after Andrew progressed into the Gulf of Mexico.
Governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
Lawton Chiles
Lawton Mainor Chiles Jr. (April 3, 1930 – December 12, 1998) was an American politician who served as the 41st governor of Florida from 1991 until his death in 1998. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as a United State ...
declared a
state of emergency and activated about one-third of the
Florida National Guard
The Florida National Guard is the National Guard force of the state of Florida. It comprises the Florida Army National Guard and the Florida Air National Guard.
The United States Constitution charges the National Guard with dual federal and st ...
. Many residents evacuated, most voluntarily, from
Broward,
Charlotte
Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...
,
Collier,
Lee,
Martin Martin may refer to:
Places
* Martin City (disambiguation)
* Martin County (disambiguation)
* Martin Township (disambiguation)
Antarctica
* Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land
* Port Martin, Adelie Land
* Point Martin, South Orkney Islands
Austr ...
,
Dade,
Monroe,
Palm Beach, and
Sarasota
Sarasota () is a city in Sarasota County on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The area is renowned for its cultural and environmental amenities, beaches, resorts, and the Sarasota School of Architecture. The city is located in the sou ...
counties. A total of 142 shelters opened in these counties and collectively housed at least 84,340 people. In Dade County alone, 515,670 people were ordered to evacuate. As Andrew was approaching, an estimated 20,000–30,000 tourists were in the Florida Keys (Monroe County).
Overall, almost 1.2 million people evacuated, which contributed to the low number of fatalities, despite the intensity of the storm.
Many evacuees also checked into hotels, with rooms completely booked as far north as
Ocala
Ocala ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Marion County within the northern region of Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city's population was 63,591, making it the 54th most populated city in Florida.
Home to ...
. Ultimately, the sheer number of evacuees led to likely the largest traffic jam in the history of Florida, mostly along
Interstate 95.
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mu ...
vessels on or near the Florida coastline were either secured onshore or sent to ride out the storm at sea. Government offices and public and private schools were closed from Monroe County northward to
St. Lucie County. Many colleges and universities in southeast Florida also closed.
Major airports such as the
Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood,
Key West,
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...
,
and
Palm Beach international airports closed.
Gulf Coast of the United States
![Hurricaneandrewlouisiana](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d0/Hurricaneandrewlouisiana.JPG)
Shortly after the storm emerged into the Gulf of Mexico from southern Florida, the National Hurricane Center issued hurricane watches and warnings for the Gulf Coast of the United States beginning at 13:00 UTC on August 24. After the initial hurricane watch from
Mobile, Alabama, to
Sabine Pass, Texas
Sabine Pass is a neighborhood in Port Arthur, Texas. It lies at Sabine Pass, on the west bank of the Sabine River, the border between Louisiana and Texas, and was incorporated in 1861. Formally annexed by Port Arthur in 1978, Sabine Pass has its ...
, the watches and warnings were expanded to eventually include areas from Mobile, Alabama, to
Freeport, Texas
Freeport is a city in Brazoria County, Texas, United States, located on the Gulf of Mexico. According to the 2020 census, the city population was 10,696, down from 12,049 in 2010.
History
Freeport was founded as a European-American settlement ...
. All watches and warnings on the Gulf Coast were discontinued late on August 26 after the hurricane moved inland over Louisiana.
Due to the hurricane's threat, workers fled oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico, while the
Coast Guard
A coast guard or coastguard is a maritime security organization of a particular country. The term embraces wide range of responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to ...
moved their boats inland.
Officials in
Mississippi
Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...
suggested that about 100,000 people evacuate the
coastal counties.
Shelters were opened in
Hancock Hancock may refer to:
Places in the United States
* Hancock, Iowa
* Hancock, Maine
* Hancock, Maryland
* Hancock, Massachusetts
* Hancock, Michigan
* Hancock, Minnesota
* Hancock, Missouri
* Hancock, New Hampshire
** Hancock (CDP), New Hampshir ...
and
Harrison
Harrison may refer to:
People
* Harrison (name)
* Harrison family of Virginia, United States
Places
In Australia:
* Harrison, Australian Capital Territory, suburb in the Canberra district of Gungahlin
In Canada:
* Inukjuak, Quebec, or " ...
counties, though only 68 people went to a shelter in the former.
Gambling ships were moved into harbors and inland canals. Two run-offs for special
legislative
A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government.
Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known ...
elections scheduled for August 25 were postponed.
In
Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
,
Governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
Edwin Edwards declared a state of emergency.
About 1.25 million people evacuated from the central and southeast Louisiana,
while approximately 60,000 others fled
parishes in southwest Louisiana. A mandatory evacuation from
Grand Isle was ordered by Mayor Andy Valence and the city council. In
, Mayor
Sidney Barthelemy
Sidney John Barthelemy (born March 17, 1942) is a former American political figure. The second African American to hold the New Orleans mayoral chair, he was a member of the Louisiana State Senate from 1974 to 1978 and a member at-large of the ...
ordered the evacuation of about 200,000 residents in the low-lying areas of the city.
[ ] Nine shelters were opened in the city, which were occupied by thousands of people.
In response to computer simulations showing that storm surge from a tropical cyclone like Hurricane Andrew could over-top
the levees, workers closed 111
floodgate
Floodgates, also called stop gates, are adjustable gates used to control water flow in flood barriers, reservoir, river, stream, or levee systems. They may be designed to set spillway crest heights in dams, to adjust flow rates in sluices a ...
s.
The
New Orleans International Airport
Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport ( French: ''Aéroport international Louis Armstrong de La Nouvelle-Orléans'') is an international airport under Class B airspace in Kenner, Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is ...
closed, with jumbo jets being flown to other airports. A total of 250 members of the
Louisiana National Guard
The Louisiana National Guard is the armed force through which the Louisiana Military Department executes the U.S. state of Louisiana's security policy. Consisting of the Louisiana Army National Guard, a reserve component of the United States Army ...
patrolled the streets during the storm. The
Red Cross
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure respect for all human beings, and ...
assisted with opening a shelter at the
University of Southwest Louisiana's
Cajundome
The Cajundome is a 13,500-seat multi-purpose arena located in Lafayette, Louisiana on the South Campus of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. It is home to the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns men's and women's basketball programs in addition t ...
in
Lafayette
Lafayette or La Fayette may refer to:
People
* Lafayette (name), a list of people with the surname Lafayette or La Fayette or the given name Lafayette
* House of La Fayette, a French noble family
** Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette (1757 ...
, equipped to handle about 2,000 people.
In
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
, about 250,000 people evacuated
Orange
Orange most often refers to:
*Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis''
** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower
*Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum
* ...
and
Jefferson Jefferson may refer to:
Names
* Jefferson (surname)
* Jefferson (given name)
People
* Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), third president of the United States
* Jefferson (footballer, born 1970), full name Jefferson Tomaz de Souza, Brazilian foo ...
counties.
Galveston
Galveston ( ) is a coastal resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a population of 47,743 in 2010, is the county seat of surrounding Ga ...
City Manager Doug Matthews advised residents to develop an evacuation plan in case the city chose to call for evacuations.
The city later decided against ordering an evacuation. School was canceled on August 25 for
Beaumont
Beaumont may refer to:
Places Canada
* Beaumont, Alberta
* Beaumont, Quebec
England
* Beaumont, Cumbria
* Beaumont, Essex
** Beaumont Cut, a canal closed in the 1930s
* Beaumont Street, Oxford
France (communes)
* Beaumont, Ardèche
* ...
,
Port Arthur, and other areas of central Jefferson County,
while schools were closed in
Dickinson,
High Island
Geologically, a high island or volcanic island is an island of volcanic origin. The term can be used to distinguish such islands from low islands, which are formed from sedimentation or the uplifting of coral reefs (which have often formed ...
,
Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...
,
La Marque,
Santa Fe, and
Texas City
Texas City is a city in Galveston County in the U.S. state of Texas. Located on the southwest shoreline of Galveston Bay, Texas City is a busy deepwater port on Texas's Gulf Coast, as well as a petroleum-refining and petrochemical-manufacturing ...
on August 26.
College of the Mainland
College of the Mainland (COM) is a public community college in Texas City, Texas. Its name comes from its location on the "mainland" portion of Galveston County, Texas (the portion north of Galveston Island). The school's sport teams are nam ...
,
Galveston College
Galveston College (GC) is a public community college in Galveston, Texas.
History
On November 2, 1935, voters approved the creation of the Galveston Junior College District. However, a subsequent 1936 election to support the new district via ...
, and
Texas A&M University at Galveston Texas A&M University at Galveston (TAMUG) is an ocean-oriented branch campus of Texas A&M University offering both undergraduate and graduate degrees that are awarded from Texas A&M University in College Station. Students enrolled at Texas A&M Unive ...
were also closed. Emergency management crews in
Corpus Christi began testing emergency generators and severe weather gear.
[ ] The
Comal County
Comal County ( ) is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 161,501. Comal County is known for its rich German-Texan and European history. Its county seat is New Braunfels.
...
chapter of the Red Cross placed their disaster alert teams on standby and ready to respond if the hurricane threatened the
Corpus Christi area.
Impact
Even though Andrew was a small tropical cyclone for most of its lifespan, it caused extreme damage, especially in the Bahamas, Florida, and Louisiana. The vast majority of the damage was as a result of extremely high winds, although a few tornadoes spawned by Andrew caused considerable damage in Louisiana. Throughout the areas affected, almost 177,000 people were left homeless. Outside of the Bahamas, Florida, and Louisiana, effects were widespread, although damage was minimal. Overall, $27.3 billion in losses
and 65 fatalities were attributed to Andrew,
although many other estimates range as high as $36 billion. Andrew was the costliest hurricane in U.S. history at the time, but is now seventh following hurricanes
Katrina
Katrina or Katrine may refer to:
People
* Katrina (given name)
* Katrine (given name)
Meteorology
* List of storms named Katrina, a list of tropical cyclones designated as Katrina
** Hurricane Katrina, an exceptionally powerful Atlantic hurrican ...
(2005),
Ike
Ike or IKE may refer to:
People
* Ike (given name), a list of people with the name or nickname
* Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890–1969), Supreme Commander of the Allied forces in Europe during World War II and President of the United States Surname
...
(2008),
Sandy (2012),
Harvey
Harvey, Harveys or Harvey's may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''Harvey'' (play), a 1944 play by Mary Chase about a man befriended by an invisible anthropomorphic rabbit
* Harvey Awards ("Harveys"), one of the most important awards ...
(2017),
Irma (2017), and
Maria
Maria may refer to:
People
* Mary, mother of Jesus
* Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages
Place names Extraterrestrial
* 170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877
* Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, ...
(2017).
Bahamas
In the Bahamas, Andrew produced hurricane-force winds in
North Eleuthera
North Eleuthera is one of the districts of the Bahamas, on the island of Eleuthera. It has a population (2010 census) of 3,247.
The Bluff, Lower Bogue, Current and Upper Bogue are the main settlements.
Sweetings Pond in North Central Eleuthe ...
,
New Providence,
North Andros
North Andros is one of the 31 districts of the Bahamas. It is also the largest district (in area) in the country. It has some of the largest settlements on Andros Island
Andros Island is an archipelago within the Bahamas, the largest of the Ba ...
,
Bimini
Bimini is the westernmost district of the Bahamas and comprises a chain of islands located about due east of Miami. Bimini is the closest point in the Bahamas to the mainland United States and approximately west-northwest of Nassau. The popula ...
, and the Berry Islands.
The storm first struck North Eleuthera,
where it produced a high storm surge.
At a small village in the northwestern portion of the island, more than half of the houses were destroyed and the rest of the buildings sustained minor to major damage. One person drowned from the surge in Lower Bogue, Eleuthera, and two others died in
The Bluff. On Current Island, the hurricane destroyed 24 of the 30 houses.
Harbour Island, near Eleuthera, reported wind gusts of – the strongest gust speed observed in the Bahamas during Andrew's passage.
News reports indicated severe damage to 36 houses on Harbor Island.
Andrew produced several tornadoes in the area.
At the capital city of
Nassau
Nassau may refer to:
Places Bahamas
*Nassau, Bahamas, capital city of the Bahamas, on the island of New Providence
Canada
*Nassau District, renamed Home District, regional division in Upper Canada from 1788 to 1792
*Nassau Street (Winnipeg), ...
, sustained winds reached , while gusts up to were reported.
Only minor damage occurred in Nassau, according to the Bahamas Red Cross,
but on the private island of Cat Cay, many expensive homes sustained heavy damage.
Much of the northwestern Bahamas received damage,
with estimated monetary losses reaching $250 million.
A total of 800 houses were destroyed, leaving 1,700 people homeless. Additionally, the storm caused severe damage to the sectors of transport, communications, water, sanitation, agriculture, and fishing.
Four deaths in the country were attributed to the hurricane, of which three were direct;
the indirect fatality was due to heart failure during the passage of the storm.
Florida
![Hurricane andrew fema 2563](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/54/Hurricane_andrew_fema_2563.jpg)
Overall, Andrew caused about $25.3 billion in damage in Florida,
making it the costliest hurricane to hit the state at the time.
Some estimates in Florida put the damage as high as $34 billion (1992
USD
The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...
, $ USD). Almost all of the damage in Florida was caused by strong winds, rather than
storm surge or flooding that is often associated with a major hurricane.
Of the 44 deaths attributed to the storm, 15 were direct fatalities, while 29 were indirectly caused by the storm. It was later noted that if Andrew had been slightly larger or made landfall a few miles further north, it would have significantly affected
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...
and
Fort Lauderdale
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
, which would have resulted in an even higher damage and death toll.
An analysis by the
American Meteorological Society
The American Meteorological Society (AMS) is the premier scientific and professional organization in the United States promoting and disseminating information about the atmospheric, oceanic, and hydrologic sciences. Its mission is to advance th ...
indicated that unlike most hurricanes, wind damage from Andrew was mostly north of the geometric center and occurred primarily on the eastern edge of the storm. Some officials in Florida considered Andrew the worst storm in the state since the
Labor Day hurricane in 1935.
But most others (particularly the media, former National Hurricane Center director
Max Mayfield
Britt Max Mayfield (born September 19, 1948) is an American meteorologist who served as the director of the National Hurricane Center from 2000 to 2007. As director, Mayfield became a trusted voice in preparing for weather-related disasters, par ...
) in retrospect stated that Andrew was hardly "The Big One", but still very devastating.
The storm surge from Andrew was very limited in its overall coverage due the compactness of the hurricane,
although it caused between $96 million and more than $500 million in losses to boats and buildings, based on various sources.
At the height of the storm, more than 1.4 million people lost electricity and another 150,000 were without telephone service.
It is estimated that throughout Florida, the storm damaged 101,241 homes and destroyed approximately 63,000 others – the vast majority in Dade County – with about 175,000 people rendered homeless.
Smaller tropical cyclones like Andrew or
Charley Charley may refer to:
Places
*Charley, Leicestershire, a parish in England
*Charley's Flat, alternate name for Dutch Flat, California
*Charley's Motel, former name of Star Lite Motel, Minnesota, United States
*Charley Ridge, West Virginia, United ...
tend to produce less overall coverages and damages from the storm surge, in contrast to hurricanes such as
Hugo
Hugo or HUGO may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Hugo'' (film), a 2011 film directed by Martin Scorsese
* Hugo Award, a science fiction and fantasy award named after Hugo Gernsback
* Hugo (franchise), a children's media franchise based on ...
,
Ike
Ike or IKE may refer to:
People
* Ike (given name), a list of people with the name or nickname
* Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890–1969), Supreme Commander of the Allied forces in Europe during World War II and President of the United States Surname
...
,
Ivan
Ivan () is a Slavic male given name, connected with the variant of the Greek name (English: John) from Hebrew meaning 'God is gracious'. It is associated worldwide with Slavic countries. The earliest person known to bear the name was Bulgari ...
, and
Katrina
Katrina or Katrine may refer to:
People
* Katrina (given name)
* Katrine (given name)
Meteorology
* List of storms named Katrina, a list of tropical cyclones designated as Katrina
** Hurricane Katrina, an exceptionally powerful Atlantic hurrican ...
. In addition to homes, the storm damaged or destroyed 82,000 businesses, of farmland, 31 public schools, 59 health facilities/hospitals, 9,500 traffic signals, of power lines, and 3,000 watermains.
Approximately 20 million cubic yards (15 million
m3) of debris left by the storm were disposed of.
Tides were generally between above normal in the Biscayne Bay area, though near the
Burger King International Headquarters, tides reached as high as above normal. Storm surge on the west coast was widespread but generally light, with a peak height of in
Everglades City and
Goodland. Strong winds from the storm were confined to a relatively small area, stretching from
Key Largo
Key Largo ( es, Cayo Largo) is an island in the upper Florida Keys archipelago and is the largest section of the keys, at long. It is one of the northernmost of the Florida Keys in Monroe County, and the northernmost of the keys connected by ...
to the
Miami Beach area. A house near
Perrine initially reported a wind gust of before the structure and instrument were destroyed; this measurement was reduced to , after wind-tunnel testing at the
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also has educational facilities in six regi ...
of the same type of anemometer revealed a 16.5% error. Several other anemometers measuring the highest wind speeds on land were destroyed or failed. At the National Hurricane Center building in
Coral Gables, sustained winds of and gusts to were measured before the anemometer failed. The highest sustained wind speed for the storm was , recorded at the
Turkey Point Nuclear Generating Station
Turkey Point Nuclear Generating Station is a nuclear and gas-fired power plant located on a site two miles east of Homestead, Florida, United States, next to Biscayne National Park located about south of Miami, Florida near the southernmo ...
, before instruments also failed there. In Key Largo, a 13-minute wind speed of was reported. Tropical storm force winds reached as far north as
West Palm Beach
West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth.
Etymology
The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some R ...
. On the west coast of Florida, sustained winds remained just below tropical storm force on
Marco Island
Marco may refer to:
People
* Marco (given name), people with the given name Marco
* Marco (actor) (born 1977), South Korean model and actor
* Georg Marco (1863–1923), Romanian chess player of German origin
* Tomás Marco (born 1942), Spanish ...
, though a wind gust of was reported in Collier County. Rainfall was generally light, possibly as a result of the storm's relatively fast movement.
Overall, precipitation from Andrew peaked at nearly in western Dade County. Heavy rainfall in other areas was sporadic, with precipitation reported as far north as
Central Florida
Central Florida is a region of the U.S. state of Florida. Different sources give different definitions for the region, but as its name implies it is usually said to comprise the central part of the state, including the Tampa Bay area and the Gr ...
.
![Destruction following hurricane andrew](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/63/Destruction_following_hurricane_andrew.jpg)
Although effects from Andrew were catastrophic, the extent of damage was limited mainly from
Kendall to Key Largo due to the small wind field of the storm. The hurricane destroyed 90% of mobile homes in the county, including 99% of mobile homes in
Homestead
Homestead may refer to:
*Homestead (buildings), a farmhouse and its adjacent outbuildings; by extension, it can mean any small cluster of houses
* Homestead (unit), a unit of measurement equal to 160 acres
*Homestead principle, a legal concept t ...
.
At the
Homestead Air Force Base
Homestead Air Reserve Base (Homestead ARB), previously known as Homestead Air Force Base (Homestead AFB) is located in Miami–Dade County, Florida to the northeast of the city of Homestead. It is home to the 482nd Fighter Wing (482 FW) of th ...
, most of the 2,000 buildings on the base were severely damaged or rendered unusable.
Damage to the base was extensive enough that it was recommended for closure.
Nearby, in the small town of
Florida City
Florida City is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. It is the southernmost municipality in the South Florida metropolitan area. Florida City is primarily a Miami suburb and a major agricultural area. As of the 2020 census, it ...
, over 120 homes were demolished and 700 others were damaged, while a number of other buildings were damaged beyond repair, including City Hall. Further north, damage to poorly constructed homes in communities such as
Country Walk and Saga Bay resembled that of an
F3 tornado. Winds in the area were estimated to have ranged from , slightly below the threshold for an F3 tornado. Four of the five condominiums at Naranja Lakes were destroyed.
The
Cutler Ridge Mall suffered severe wind and water damage; after the storm, significant looting was reported at that location. More than 50 streets were blocked by fallen trees and power lines. Agriculture suffered extensively as well, with an 85% loss to fruit crops such as avocados, limes, and mangoes. Crop damage in Dade County totaled about $509 million. The county suffered the vast majority of the damage from the hurricane, totaling approximately $25 billion. Andrew left at least 40 deaths in the county, 15 direct and 25 indirect.
![Dadeland Mobile Home Park after Andrew - Flickr - NOAA Photo Library](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e5/Dadeland_Mobile_Home_Park_after_Andrew_-_Flickr_-_NOAA_Photo_Library.jpg)
Elsewhere, effects were relatively minimal, except in Broward, Monroe, and Collier counties. In Broward County, on the north side of the storm's path, damage in several municipalities was primarily limited to downed trees, several of which fell onto roads and power lines. In
Pembroke Park, one of the worst affected cities in the county, approximately 260 mobile homes were damaged. Storm surge left
coastal flooding
Coastal flooding normally occurs when dry and low-lying land is submerged by seawater. The range of a coastal flooding is a result of the elevation of floodwater that penetrates the inland which is controlled by the topography of the coastal land ...
in some areas, especially along state roads
A1A
State Road A1A (SR A1A) is a major north–south Florida State Road that runs along the Atlantic Ocean, from Key West at the southern tip of Florida, to Fernandina Beach, just south of Georgia on Amelia Island. It is the main road throug ...
and
858
__NOTOC__
Year 858 ( DCCCLVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Europe
* Summer – King Louis the German, summoned by the disaffected Frankish ...
. Property damage reached about $100 million and three fatalities were reported in Broward County.
In
Everglades National Park
Everglades National Park is an American national park that protects the southern twenty percent of the original Everglades in Florida. The park is the largest tropical wilderness in the United States and the largest wilderness of any kind east ...
and
Biscayne National Park
Biscayne National Park is an American national park located south of Miami, Florida in Miami-Dade County. The park preserves Biscayne Bay and its offshore barrier reefs. Ninety-five percent of the park is water, and the shore of the bay is th ...
, more than 25% of trees were damaged or destroyed, including one-fourth of the
royal palm
''Roystonea regia'', commonly known as the Cuban royal palm or Florida royal palm, is a species of palm that is native to Mexico, parts of Central America and the Caribbean, and southern Florida. A large and attractive palm, it has been planted ...
s and one-third of the pine trees in the former. In addition to the damage at Everglades National Park, effects in Monroe County were significant, especially in the Upper Florida Keys. Strong winds damaged billboards, awnings, commercial signs, several boats, planes, trees,
and 1,500 homes, with 300 of those becoming uninhabitable.
Damage in that county was about $131 million.
In
Collier County
Collier County is a county in the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 375,752; an increase of 16.9% since the 2010 United States Census. Its county seat is East Naples, where the county offices were moved from Ev ...
, to the north of the storm's path, sustained winds up to were observed in
Chokoloskee. Storm surge flooded low-lying areas, particularly in Goodland, Everglades City, and Marco Island. Many boats were damaged or destroyed by the rough seas and strong winds. The storm destroyed 80 mobile homes and severely damaged 400 others. Property damage in the county reached about $30 million.
Louisiana
![Andrewlaplacetornado](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8c/Andrewlaplacetornado.png)
After hitting Florida, Andrew moved across the Gulf of Mexico and made landfall about west-southwest of Morgan City in south-central Louisiana; at landfall, the maximum sustained winds were . The highest sustained wind speed observed was , while a wind gust as strong as was recorded; both measurements were taken at the fire station in
Berwick. As it moved ashore, the hurricane produced storm tides of at least above normal, causing flooding along the coast from
Vermilion Bay to
Lake Borgne
Lake Borgne (french: Lac Borgne, es, Lago Borgne) is a lagoon of the Gulf of Mexico in southeastern Louisiana. Although early maps show it as a lake surrounded by land, coastal erosion has made it an arm of the Gulf of Mexico. Its name comes fro ...
.
Offshore, a group of six fishermen from Alabama drowned.
Heavy rains accompanied the storm's passage through the state, peaking at in
Robert
The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...
.
River flooding was also reported, with the
Tangipahoa River
The Tangipahoa River ( ) originates northwest of McComb in southwest Mississippi, and runs south U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed June 20, 2011 through Lake Tangipahoa in ...
in Robert cresting at above flood stage.
Before making landfall, Andrew spawned an
F3 tornado in
LaPlace, which killed two people and injured 32.
The tornado was on the ground for about 10 minutes, during which it damaged or destroyed 163 structures, leaving 60 families homeless.
Collectively, 14 tornadoes were reported in the parishes of
Ascension,
Iberville,
Pointe Coupee
Pointe Coupee Parish ( or ; french: Paroisse de la Pointe-Coupée) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2010 census, the population was 22,802; in 2020, its population was 20,758. The parish seat is New Roads.
Pointe ...
, and
Avoyelles
Avoyelles (french: Paroisse des Avoyelles) is a parish (administrative division), parish located in central eastern Louisiana on the Red River of the South,
Red River where it effectively becomes the Atchafalaya River and meets the Mississippi ...
, as well as in
Baton Rouge.
Along the Louisiana coastline, damages largely resembled those of a Category 2 hurricane. Damage was heaviest in
St. Mary Parish, about east of where Andrew made landfall. Twenty-six schools were affected, with damage totaling $2.6 million.
Berwick High School, sheltering about 2,000 people, was deroofed during the storm. Generally, single-family homes fared well, with most losing only roofing shingles, though others suffered severe damage after large trees fell on them. In
Cypremort Point State Park
Cypremort Point State Park is a public recreation area located on Vermilion Bay, Louisiana near the end of La. Hwy. 319. It is named for nearby Cypremort Point. Cypremort means "dead cypress" in French. The park, set against a backdrop of coas ...
, several mobile homes were destroyed. Houses in Berwick, Morgan City, and
Patterson Patterson may refer to:
People
* Patterson (surname)
Places
;Canada
* Pattersons Corners, Ontario
*Patterson Township, Ontario
*Patterson, Calgary a neighbourhood in Calgary, Alberta.
;United States of America
* Patterson, Arkansas
*Patterson, C ...
suffered major damage. Throughout the parish, 1,367 dwellings were destroyed, 2,028 were severely damaged, and 4,770 others were impacted to a minor degree. Property damage alone in St. Mary Parish reached approximately $150 million.
Iberia Parish
Iberia Parish (french: Paroisse de l'Ibérie, es, Parroquia de Iberia) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. At the 2020 census, it had a population of 69,929; the parish seat is New Iberia.
The parish was formed in 1868 during ...
was also among the most severely impacted parishes. Two schools collectively sheltering about 3,600 people in Jeanerette and New Iberia lost their roofs. One death occurred in the parish due to electrocution. A total of 407 residences were demolished, 2,528 others were extensively damaged, and 3,526 others were inflicted with minor damage. Overall, the parish suffered $125 million in property damage, while an additional $200 million in damage was inflicted on sugar crops.
Across the state, the hurricane damaged 23,000 homes and destroyed 985 homes and 1,951 mobile homes; private property damage was estimated at $1 billion. The high winds destroyed large areas of sugar and soybean crops, estimated at $289 million in damage.
Strong winds also left at least 230,000 people without electricity.
During the storm's passage, upwelling occurred in the
Atchafalaya Basin
The Atchafalaya Basin, or Atchafalaya Swamp (; Louisiana French: ''L'Atchafalaya'', ), is the largest wetland and swamp in the United States. Located in south central Louisiana, it is a combination of wetlands and river delta area where the At ...
and
Bayou Lafourche
Bayou Lafourche ( ), originally called Chetimachas River or La Fourche des Chetimaches, (the fork of the Chitimacha), is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed June 20, 2011 ba ...
, killing 187 million freshwater fish. Damage to the fishing industry was estimated at $266 million. Overall, losses in the state of Louisiana reached approximately $1.56 billion.
A total of 17 deaths occurred in Louisiana, 8 directly and 9 from indirect causes.
At least 75 injuries were reported.
Remainder of the United States
![Andrew 1992 rainfall](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/12/Andrew_1992_rainfall.gif)
While Andrew was entering the Gulf of Mexico, oil companies evacuated hundreds of employees from offshore drilling platforms. The storm damaged 241 oil and gas facilities and toppled 33 platforms off the coast of Louisiana,
causing significant disruptions in production. Additionally, 83 pipeline segments suffered damage to some degree. The oil industry lost about $12 million per day in the days following Andrew and $4 million daily by three weeks later.
Initially, a production loss of 240,000 to 270,000 barrels per day occurred – approximately one-third of production throughout the Gulf of Mexico. Overall, Hurricane Andrew caused about $500 million in damage to oil facilities.
As Andrew moved ashore in Louisiana, its outer fringes produced a storm tide of about in
Sabine Pass, Texas
Sabine Pass is a neighborhood in Port Arthur, Texas. It lies at Sabine Pass, on the west bank of the Sabine River, the border between Louisiana and Texas, and was incorporated in 1861. Formally annexed by Port Arthur in 1978, Sabine Pass has its ...
. Winds were generally light in the state, reaching in
Port Arthur.
As Andrew crossed into Mississippi, 3
severe thunderstorm warning
A severe thunderstorm warning ( SAME code: SVR) is a severe weather warning product issued by regional offices of weather forecasting agencies throughout the world to alert the public that severe thunderstorms are imminent or occurring.
A sev ...
s, 21
tornado warning
A tornado warning ( SAME code: TOR) is a severe weather warning product issued by regional offices of weather forecasting agencies throughout the world to alert the public when a tornado has been reported or indicated by weather radar within the ...
s, and 16
flood warnings were issued.
Funnel cloud
A funnel cloud is a funnel-shaped cloud of condensed water droplets, associated with a rotating column of wind and extending from the base of a cloud (usually a cumulonimbus or towering cumulus cloud) but not reaching the ground or a water su ...
s were observed near the path of the storm,
along with 26 tornadoes. Structural damage was generally minimal, occurring from the tornadoes and severe thunderstorms. One tornado in
Kemper County destroyed a mobile home, while another twister in
Lauderdale County demolished a mobile home, damaged five other dwellings, and injured four people.
Additionally, a possible tornado damaged a home and two trailers in
Lawrence County.
Strong winds knocked down trees in the southwestern portion of the state.
Much of Mississippi received of rain, while areas near the southwest corner of the state observed over of precipitation,
with a peak of at
Sumrall.
Flooding was mostly limited to the inundation of minor roads and low-lying areas in several counties.
In Alabama, precipitation amounts in the state peaked at in
Aliceville.
The rainfall caused flooding in low-lying areas and creeks, covering a few county roads but not entering many houses or businesses.
Along the coast, the storm produced flooding and high tides.
Along
Dauphin Island
Dauphin Island is an island town in Mobile County, Alabama, United States, on a barrier island of the same name, in the Gulf of Mexico. It incorporated in 1988. The population was 1,778 at the 2020 census, up from 1,238 at the 2010 census. The t ...
, high tides left severe
beach erosion, with portions of the island losing up to of sand.
Three damaging tornadoes occurred in the state. The most damaging tornado was spawned in
Elmore County and moved from an area northeast of
Montgomery to the south of
Wetumpka
Wetumpka () is a city in and the county seat of Elmore County, Alabama, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 7,220. In the early 21st century Elmore County became one of the fastest-growing counties in the state. The city is ...
and briefly lifted during its track. The tornado destroyed 2 homes and damaged 18 homes, 1 mobile home, 2 barns, and 1 vehicle. One person was injured by the twister.
Sustained winds in the state were below tropical storm force, though a wind gust of 41 mph (67 km/h) was observed in
Huntsville
Huntsville is a city in Madison County, Limestone County, and Morgan County, Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Madison County. Located in the Appalachian region of northern Alabama, Huntsville is the most populous city in th ...
.
Although 48
counties in Alabama reported wind damage, impact across the state was generally minor.
Tropical storm force wind gusts and damaging tornadoes extended eastward into Georgia. Several
counties
A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
in the northwest and west-central portions of the state reported downed trees and tree limbs and fallen power lines, causing scattered power outages, but structural damage was generally minor. In
Carroll County, several dwellings and barns were damaged, with one mobile home destroyed. At the
Columbus Metropolitan Airport, buildings, billboards, and signs were damaged. Additionally, a tornado in
Floyd County near
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
snapped and uprooted several trees, damaged several fences and homes, and flipped over a trailer, tossing it on top of four cars.
Monetary losses in the state reached about $100,000.
In
Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
, thunderstorm winds and tornadoes associated with Andrew downed trees and power lines, but caused little overall impact to homes and buildings. Similarly, in
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...
, thunderstorm winds toppled trees and power lines at a number of locations in the mountainous areas of the state, especially in
Avery County
Avery County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,806. The county seat is Newland. The county seat was initially established in Elk Park when the county was first formed, but wa ...
. Rainfall from Andrew spread across the southeastern United States along the
Appalachian Mountains
The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, (french: Appalaches), are a system of mountains in eastern to northeastern North America. The Appalachians first formed roughly 480 million years ago during the Ordovician Period. They ...
corridor; totals of over 5 in (125 mm) were reported where Georgia and South Carolina meet North Carolina.
In
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the B ...
, the remnants of Andrew combined with a cold front to produce of rain over portions of the state, causing flooding in areas of
Morgantown with poor drainage. The remnants of Andrew also spawned several tornadoes in
Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
. A tornado in
Howard County damaged several homes, some extensively. The twister also tossed and wrecked a recreational vehicle and its trailer, downed trees, and flattened cornfields.
Precipitation continued along the path of Andrew's remnants through the Mid-Atlantic and Ohio Valley, with precipitation measured as far north as
Upstate New York
Upstate New York is a geographic region consisting of the area of New York State that lies north and northwest of the New York City metropolitan area. Although the precise boundary is debated, Upstate New York excludes New York City and Long Is ...
.
Aftermath
After the season had ended, the World Meteorological Organization's RA IV Hurricane Committee retired the name ''Andrew'' from the list of future names for Atlantic tropical cyclones due to its impact and damage and replaced it with ''Alex.'' The name ''Andrew'' will never again be used for another Atlantic hurricane.
Bahamas
Initially, the Bahamas National Disaster Coordinator believed that
foreign aid was not required, but shortly after the storm, the
Government of the United Kingdom
ga, Rialtas a Shoilse gd, Riaghaltas a Mhòrachd
, image = HM Government logo.svg
, image_size = 220px
, image2 = Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government).svg
, image_size2 = 180px
, caption = Royal Arms
, date_es ...
began distributing blankets, food, ice, and water. , a
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...
Type 42 destroyer
The Type 42 or ''Sheffield'' class, was a class of fourteen guided-missile destroyers that served in the Royal Navy.Marriott, Leo: ''Royal Navy Destroyers since 1945'', , Ian Allan Ltd, 1989 A further two ships of this class were built for and s ...
, was the operational guard ship at the time and assisted in relief operations in and around the Gregorytown area.
In addition, assistance came from Canada, Japan, and the United States, as well as the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...
. The
American Red Cross delivered 100 tents, 100 rolls of plastic sheeting, and 1,000 cots.
Rebuilding began quickly on the hardest hit islands. However, trees and vegetation were expected to take years to recover. Despite reconstruction efforts and the small number of resort lodgings affected (around 2%), officials expected a 10–20% decline in tourism.
The
Bahamian Government, observing that their response mechanisms were not sufficient, reformed the National Emergency and Management Agency.
United States
After assessing the devastation in Florida and Louisiana,
U.S. President
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...
George H. W. Bush initially proposed a $7.1 billion aid package to provide disaster benefits, small-business loans, agricultural recovery,
food stamps, and public housing for victims of Hurricane Andrew.
After the
House of Representatives
House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...
appropriated aid to victims of
Hurricane Iniki
Hurricane Iniki ( ; Hawaiian: ''iniki'' meaning "strong and piercing wind") was the most powerful hurricane to strike Hawaii in recorded history. Forming on September 5, 1992, during the strong 1990–1995 El Niño, Iniki was one of eleven Cent ...
in
Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...
and
Typhoon Omar
Typhoon Omar of 1992, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Lusing, was the strongest and costliest typhoon to strike Guam since Typhoon Pamela in 1976. The cyclone formed on August 23 from the monsoon trough across the western Pacific Ocea ...
in
Guam
Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...
, the cost was later increased to $11.1 billion. The bill, which was the most costly disaster aid package at the time, was passed by
Congress
A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...
as House Resolution 5620 on September 18,
and signed into law by President Bush on September 23.
The state of Florida alone received $9 billion through the disaster relief bill.
The
Federal Emergency Management Agency
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), initially created under President Jimmy Carter by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1978 and implemented by two Ex ...
(FEMA) was criticized for its slow response in both Florida and Louisiana. Even a month prior to Andrew, the
House Committee on Appropriations
The United States House Committee on Appropriations is a List of current United States House of Representatives committees, committee of the United States House of Representatives that is responsible for passing Appropriations bill (United State ...
– which oversees the budget for FEMA – released a report calling the agency a "political dumping ground" and a "turkey farm" due to its "weak, inexperienced leaders". Congressman
S. William Green
Sedgwick William Green (October 16, 1929 – October 14, 2002) was a Republican Party (United States), Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from New York. He represented a district covering most or all of Manhattan's Ea ...
of
New York, a member of the Appropriations Committee, stated that he believed the agency learned little from its botched response to
Hurricane Hugo in 1989. However, Green also criticized local officials for expecting "them
EMAto come and run the whole show". Some FEMA officials responded that it was impossible to respond as they had been requested while also continuing to provide aid for the
Los Angeles riots. FEMA spokesman Grant Peterson stated, "24 hours is not reasonable to expect to have all the resources of the federal government landing in the middle of a disaster." Some responsibility for the slow response must rest with Florida Governor
Lawton Chiles
Lawton Mainor Chiles Jr. (April 3, 1930 – December 12, 1998) was an American politician who served as the 41st governor of Florida from 1991 until his death in 1998. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as a United State ...
, who waited five days to submit the formal request for Federal assistance that FEMA officials believed was required before they were empowered to act.
Florida
In Florida, President Bush assessed damage in areas south of Miami with Florida Governor
Lawton Chiles
Lawton Mainor Chiles Jr. (April 3, 1930 – December 12, 1998) was an American politician who served as the 41st governor of Florida from 1991 until his death in 1998. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as a United State ...
.
The president quickly declared the region a disaster area, which provided public assistance to victims of the storm in Broward, Collier, Dade, and Monroe Counties.
Lieutenant Governor Buddy MacKay flew over the impact area and described the scene as looking "like a war zone".
Governor Chiles considered asking the
Florida State Legislature
The Florida Legislature is the legislature of the U.S. State of Florida. It is organized as a bicameral body composed of an upper chamber, the Senate, and a lower chamber, the House of Representatives. Article III, Section 1 of the Florida Cons ...
to raise taxes, stating that "No matter how much Congress appropriates to repair damage from Hurricane Andrew, the state will face a substantial cleanup bill".
Instead of raising taxes, Chiles signed a bill into law on December 17 that created a three-year reserve fund for losses to uninsured businesses and homes, as well as government and school buildings and functions. Additionally, the bill allowed South Floridians to keep an estimated $500 million in sales tax generated by rebuilding efforts.
![FEMA - 2378 - Photograph by Bob Epstein taken on 08-24-1992 in Florida](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/76/FEMA_-_2378_-_Photograph_by_Bob_Epstein_taken_on_08-24-1992_in_Florida.jpg)
Crime, especially looting and theft, rose sharply in the areas south of Miami immediately after Andrew. Reports indicate that merchandise was stolen at damaged or destroyed shopping centers in southern Dade County. Additionally, looting occurred in neighborhoods severely affected by the storm, even in homes where few possessions remained.
Initially, the slow response of federal aid prompted Dade County Emergency Management Director Kate Hale to famously exclaim at a nationally televised news conference, "Where in the hell is the cavalry on this one? They keep saying we're going to get supplies. For God's sake, where are they?" Almost immediately, President Bush promised, "Help is on the way," and mobile kitchens, food, and tents, along with over 20,000 units from the
Florida Army National Guard
The Florida Army National Guard is Florida's component of the United States Army and the United States National Guard. In the United States, the Army National Guard comprises approximately one half of the federal army's available combat forces ...
(
124th Infantry Regiment
The 124th Infantry Regiment is a parent regiment of the United States Army, represented in the Florida Army National Guard by the 1st Battalion headquartered in Miramar and 2nd Battalion at Orlando. The two Battalions are elements of the 53rd In ...
from Florida); the
24th Infantry Division from
Fort Stewart
Fort Stewart is a United States Army post in the U.S. state of Georgia. It lies primarily in Liberty and Bryan counties, but also extends into smaller portions of Evans, Long and Tattnall counties. The population was 11,205 at the 2000 census. ...
, the
82nd Airborne Division and logistical support soldiers from the 1st Corps Support Command's 189th Maintenance Battalion from
Fort Bragg, and the
10th Mountain Division
The 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) is a light infantry division in the United States Army based at Fort Drum, New York. Formerly designated as a mountain warfare unit, the division was the only one of its size in the US military to re ...
from
Fort Drum
Fort Drum is a U.S. Army military reservation and a census-designated place (CDP) in Jefferson County, on the northern border of New York, United States. The population of the CDP portion of the base was 12,955 at the 2010 census. It is home ...
.
In order to provide temporary housing for the homeless, military personnel initially set up a total of five tent cities in
Florida City
Florida City is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. It is the southernmost municipality in the South Florida metropolitan area. Florida City is primarily a Miami suburb and a major agricultural area. As of the 2020 census, it ...
and Homestead, while a sixth tent city was opened at the
Miccosukee Indian Reservation
The Miccosukee Indian Reservation is the homeland of the Miccosukee tribe of Native Americans. It is divided into three sections in two counties of southern Florida, United States. Their total land area is 128.256 sq mi (332.183 km2). The M ...
shortly after
Labor Day weekend.
The
Government of Canada
The government of Canada (french: gouvernement du Canada) is the body responsible for the federal administration of Canada. A constitutional monarchy, the Crown is the corporation sole, assuming distinct roles: the executive, as the ''Crown ...
dispatched a team 90
military
A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...
engineers to repair community centers, hospitals, and schools. Additionally, a crew of 300 military personnel were sent to Miami via
HMCS ''Protecteur'' to assist American relief teams.
The storm struck Florida in the midst of
1992 presidential election campaign. A poll conducted by
CBS News in September showed that 65% of Dade County residents approved of Bush's handling of the disaster, while 61% of residents approved statewide. Despite the support of Bush's response and his proposal to rebuild Homestead Air Force Base, he benefited little politically and trailed 48–42% against
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...
in another poll taken in September. Additionally, 75% of voters in Dade County and 82% of Floridians overall stated that the president's actions in response to Andrew would not impact their vote in November. Bush went on to
carry the state of Florida, but by a margin of only 1.89%. The hurricane also impacted Governor Chiles politically. The state's response to the storm was perceived as poor, sinking Chiles' approval rating to 22%, while his disapproval rating rose to 76%. However, Chiles was able to recover prior to the
1994 gubernatorial election.
In the aftermath of the storm, extensive psychological effects were documented. Difficulty during clean-up and recovery led to increased
divorce
Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganizing of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving the ...
rates and a spike in
posttraumatic stress disorder
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental and behavioral disorder that can develop because of exposure to a traumatic event, such as sexual assault, warfare, traffic collisions, child abuse, domestic violence, or other threats ...
(PTSD). The cases of PTSD primarily impacted children. A sampling of 378 adolescents by the
University of South Carolina's Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics indicated that 3% of males and 9% of females met the criteria for PTSD. Dozens of children in the area attempted
suicide, while counselors reported that between 50 and 60 children discussed killing themselves between December 1992 and January 1993. A panel of psychiatrists and psychologists at the
University of Miami
The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, i ...
agreed that as many as 90% of residents in the worst impacted areas would experience at least a few symptoms of PTSD. Within six months, the circumstances related to the aftermath of Andrew led to at least five suicides and four
homicides.
![FEMA - 2399 - Photograph by Bob Epstein taken on 08-24-1992 in Florida](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a4/FEMA_-_2399_-_Photograph_by_Bob_Epstein_taken_on_08-24-1992_in_Florida.jpg)
Although proposals to rebuild Homestead Air Force Base were initially rejected,
[ ] the
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD or DOD) is an executive branch department of the federal government charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government directly related to national sec ...
eventually expended over $100 million to begin repairs. Unsalvageable buildings were demolished. Reconstruction then began on a
Florida Air National Guard
The Florida Air National Guard (FL ANG) is the aerial militia of the State of Florida. It is, along with the Florida Army National Guard (FL ARNG), an element of the Florida National Guard. It is also an element of the Air National Guard (ANG ...
tower, air traffic control tower, and maintenance hangars. Next, the rebuilding of communications, medical, security facility, vehicle maintenance, and wing headquarters buildings began. On March 5, 1994, the base reopened as Homestead Air Reserve Base. Prior to Andrew, the base employed approximately 6,500 military personnel and 1,000 civilians and annually added about $450 million to the local economy.
[ ] After its reopening,
Major Bobby D'Angelo expected the base to annually contribute less than half of that – between $180 million and $200 million.
The city of Homestead spent about $6 million on rebuilding the
Homestead Sports Complex
Homestead Sports Complex was a baseball training facility located less than three miles from downtown Homestead, Florida. The facility seated 6,500 and expanded to 9,000, and provided parking for over 3,900 vehicles. A 200-bed dormitory facility lo ...
. Despite this, the
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive Fi ...
, fearing the relocation of their more affluent fans, moved their
spring training location to
Chain of Lakes Park
Chain of Lakes Park is a baseball field in Winter Haven, Florida. The stadium was built in 1966 and holds 7,000 people. It was the spring training home of the Boston Red Sox from 1966 to 1992, after which the Red Sox moved operations to City of P ...
in
Winter Haven.
As homes were being rebuilt, FEMA provided free temporary mobile homes for 3,501 families and financial assistance to more than 40,000 other families for staying in hotel rooms, paying rent, and repairing homes. Nearly two years after Andrew, about 70% of homes in Homestead that were damaged or destroyed were repaired or rebuilt. Additionally, of the homes destroyed or severely damaged throughout Dade County, 36,000 had been restored by July 1994.
More than 930,000 policyholders in South Florida lost coverage after 11 insurance companies went bankrupt, caused by more than 600,000 insurance claims filed. This led the Florida Legislature to create new entities, such as the Joint Underwriting Association, the Florida Windstorm Underwriting Association, and the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund, in an effort to restore adequate insurance capacity. Stricter building codes were created in Florida in the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew. A survey by Tim Marshall and Richard Herzog of the Haag Engineer Company in
Carrollton, Texas
Carrollton is a city in Dallas, Denton, and Collin counties in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 133,434, making it the 23rd-most populous city in Texas.
History
The area was first settled by Jared Ford i ...
, highlighted several construction issues. On the roof of some homes, the concrete tiles were glued to felt paper, which could easily be ripped by straight line winds. At houses with shingled roofs, it was found that some of the shingles were stapled perpendicular to the long axis, also allowing them to be torn away. After the tiles or shingles were peeled off, the plywood and prefabricated trusses were exposed to the weather. Eventually, the plywood and the trusses suffered structural failure, leading to roof collapses.
![FEMA - 2599 - Photograph by Bob Epstein taken on 08-24-1992 in Florida](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fe/FEMA_-_2599_-_Photograph_by_Bob_Epstein_taken_on_08-24-1992_in_Florida.jpg)
In July 1996, Governor Chiles established the Florida Building Codes Study Commission, with the purpose of assessing the building codes at the time, as well as enacting improvements and reform to the system. The commission study indicated that building codes and regulations were developed, amended, and administered by over 400 local jurisdictions and state agencies. The Florida Building Code was established in 1998 and put into effect by 2002. It phased out local laws and regulations and replaced them with universal statewide building codes. After hurricanes
Charley Charley may refer to:
Places
*Charley, Leicestershire, a parish in England
*Charley's Flat, alternate name for Dutch Flat, California
*Charley's Motel, former name of Star Lite Motel, Minnesota, United States
*Charley Ridge, West Virginia, United ...
,
Frances
Frances is a French and English given name of Latin origin. In Latin the meaning of the name Frances is 'from France' or 'free one.' The male version of the name in English is Francis. The original Franciscus, meaning "Frenchman", comes from the F ...
,
Ivan
Ivan () is a Slavic male given name, connected with the variant of the Greek name (English: John) from Hebrew meaning 'God is gracious'. It is associated worldwide with Slavic countries. The earliest person known to bear the name was Bulgari ...
, and
Jeanne in
2004, a study conducted by the
University of Florida
The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...
in the following year noted that "Homes built under the new Florida Building Code that became effective in 2002 sustained less damage on average than those built between 1994 and 2001." A report by the Florida Legislature in 2006 after hurricanes
Dennis,
Katrina
Katrina or Katrine may refer to:
People
* Katrina (given name)
* Katrine (given name)
Meteorology
* List of storms named Katrina, a list of tropical cyclones designated as Katrina
** Hurricane Katrina, an exceptionally powerful Atlantic hurrican ...
, and
Wilma in
2005 came to a similar conclusion, indicating that "they added further evidence that the Florida Building Code is working."
The hurricane also transformed the demographics of Dade County. A migration of mostly White families northward to Broward and Palm Beach County was ongoing, but accelerated after Andrew.
Many of these families had used the money they received from insurance claims to relocate.
The population growth was especially noticeable in southwestern Broward County, where land development was pushed "years ahead of schedule".
Similar migration occurred within the Jewish community. Although there are areas of Dade County that still have significant Jewish populations, many Jews resettled to
Coral Springs
Coral Springs, officially the City of Coral Springs, is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. The city is located approximately northwest of Fort Lauderdale. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 134,394. It is a ...
, west
Fort Lauderdale
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
,
Hallandale Beach,
Plantation
A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The ...
, and
Tamarac in Broward County and
Boca Raton and
West Palm Beach
West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth.
Etymology
The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some R ...
in Palm Beach County. The county had a net loss of about 36,000 people in 1992, while Broward and Palm Beach counties gained about 17,000 and 2,300 Dade County residents, respectively.
By 2001, 230,710 people had moved from Dade County to Broward County, while 29,125 Dade County residents had moved to Palm Beach County. However, as Broward County became more crowded, 100,871 people relocated from Broward County to Palm Beach County. Consequently, the Hispanic population in south Dade County climbed rapidly.
In Homestead, for example, the Latino population increased from 30% to 45% between 1990 and 2000.
During the storm, a facility housing
Burmese pythons was destroyed, allowing many of them to escape into the Everglades. Although Burmese pythons – native to
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainlan ...
– had been sighted in Everglades National Park since the 1980s, the destruction of this facility contributed significantly to
the establishment of breeding populations in Florida. Due to rapid reproduction and ability to prey on many species, the population of Burmese pythons exploded, with possibly as many as 300,000 in the Everglades alone.
Efforts have been made to curb the thriving population of these
invasive snakes, including a ban on importation of the species to the United States since January 2012 and increased regulations on ownership of a boa constrictor or python.
Louisiana
On August 26, George H. W. Bush toured devastated areas of Louisiana with
Governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
Edwin Edwards. President Bush remarked, "The destruction from this storm goes beyond anything we have known in recent years," but noted that damage was less severe than in Florida. After his visit to Louisiana, President Bush declared only
Terrebonne Parish
Terrebonne Parish ( ; French: ''Paroisse de Terrebonne'') is a parish located in the southern part of the U.S. state of Louisiana. At the 2010 census, the population was 111,860, and 110,461 in 2019. In 2020, its population declined to 109,58 ...
as a disaster area,
but later included
34 other parishes under this declaration. FEMA initially opened five field offices throughout Louisiana. These centers allowed residents to submit applications for aid. After Franklin mayor Sam Jones and Congressman
Billy Tauzin
Wilbert Joseph Tauzin II (; born June 14, 1943) is an American lobbyist and politician. He was President and CEO of PhRMA, a pharmaceutical company lobby group. Tauzin was also a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1980 to ...
criticized FEMA for failing to open a field office in Franklin, FEMA promised to do so. In the first few days following the storm,
Louisiana National Guard
The Louisiana National Guard is the armed force through which the Louisiana Military Department executes the U.S. state of Louisiana's security policy. Consisting of the Louisiana Army National Guard, a reserve component of the United States Army ...
members and local residents worked to remove debris such as downed trees, roofing shingles, and torn aluminum siding. The state National Guard also dispatched water purification units and tanks with filled potable water.
[ ] About 1,300 National Guardsmen were deployed to southern Louisiana.
In early September, officials announced that 1,400 mobile homes, homes, and apartments would become available to residents whose dwellings became uninhabitable.
House Resolution 5620 also included disaster aid to the state of Louisiana.
In early December, the
Small Business Administration
The United States Small Business Administration (SBA) is an independent agency of the United States government that provides support to entrepreneurs and small businesses. The mission of the Small Business Administration is "to maintain and stre ...
(SBA) approved $33.2 million worth of low-interest loans for repairs to homes and businesses. By then, FEMA had received about 43,600 applications for aid, while approving $35.9 million in grants to over 18,000 households that were ineligible for loans from the SBA or were uninsured. In addition to the mobile homes already provided, FEMA spent $22.6 million on disaster housing.
[ ]
See also
*
List of Category 5 Atlantic hurricanes
A Category 5 Atlantic hurricane is a tropical cyclone that reaches Category 5 intensity on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale, within the Atlantic Ocean to the north of the equator. They are among the strongest tropical cyclones that can ...
*
List of Florida hurricanes (1975–1999)
*
1926 Miami hurricane
The Great Miami Hurricane of 1926 was a large and intense tropical cyclone that devastated the Greater Miami area and caused catastrophic damage in the Bahamas and the U.S. Gulf Coast in September of the year 1926, accruing a US$100 mi ...
– A Category 4 hurricane that caused catastrophic damage when it moved directly over Miami
*
1947 Fort Lauderdale hurricane – Another destructive Category 4 hurricane that took a similar track
*
Hurricane Betsy (1965) – Another devastating Category 4 storm that took a similar track in August–September 1965 in the Bahamas, southern Florida and eastern Louisiana
*
Hurricane Georges (1998) – Another Category 4 hurricane that caused major damage in Florida and Louisiana
*
Hurricane Katrina (2005) - A Category 5 hurricane that took a similar track and devastated New Orleans and parts of Florida
*
Hurricane Michael (2018)
Hurricane Michael was a very powerful and destructive tropical cyclone that became the first Category 5 hurricane to make landfall in the contiguous United States since Andrew in 1992. It was the third-most intense Atlantic hurricane to make ...
- Also made a very destructive impact in Florida as a Category 5 hurricane
*
Hurricane Dorian (2019) – A Category 5 hurricane that devastated the Northern Bahamas when it stalled over it at peak intensity
Notes
References
External links
Monthly Weather Review – Atlantic hurricane season of 1992National Hurricane Center's archive on Hurricane Andrew''Hurricane Andrew: As It Happened''– a
television documentary
Television documentaries are televised media productions that screen documentaries.
Television documentaries exist either as a television documentary series or as a television documentary film.
*Television documentary series, sometimes called d ...
aired on
WTVJ
WTVJ (channel 6) is a television station in Miami, Florida, United States, airing programming from the NBC network. It is owned and operated by the network's NBC Owned Television Stations division alongside Fort Lauderdale–licensed WSCV (ch ...
, posted by
Bryan Norcross
Bryan S. Norcross (born November 24, 1950) is a television meteorologist, hurricane specialist, and contributor in the United States. He works for Fox Weather in New York City, the free ad-supported streaming television weather service, and serv ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Andrew (1992)
1992 natural disasters
1992 Atlantic hurricane season
Andrew
Andrew is the English form of a given name common in many countries. In the 1990s, it was among the top ten most popular names given to boys in List of countries where English is an official language, English-speaking countries. "Andrew" is freq ...
Category 5 Atlantic hurricanes
Retired Atlantic hurricanes
1992 in the Bahamas
1992 natural disasters in the United States
History of Florida
History of Louisiana
History of Mississippi