Hi everybody and welcome. It’s really hard to believe that this week marks the ten-year anniversary of Hurricane Andrew. On August 24. 1992 at around 2:00 am, Hurricane Andrew plowed into Cutler Ridge and the sleepy town of Homestead. Nobody ever could have imagined the destruction that was about to unfold as the first beams of daylight approached. The storm caused an unprecedented 25 million dollars in damage, which made it the most costly hurricane in history. Andrew hit as a strong category 4 hurricane. The sustained winds were around 125 mph but there were unconfirmed reports of 200-mph gusts. Tornados were also embedded within the storm. The hurricane was very compact as could be seen in the damage swath. You could be driving on one street with only minor damage and one more block down, you could have total destruction. Almost all of the major destruction was done in areas that were touched by the eye-wall.
You and I have both heard some of the horror stories of people who rode out the storm in their homes. Sounds from the howling winds to the roar of collapsing roofs could be heard by people as they huddled in the slightly more secure safe room of their homes. It was a night most of us in south Florida will not soon forget. Even though the storm did not have a direct impact on the Treasure Coast, for many of us it changed our lives forever. It changed the way the insurance companies operate. In some cases it left them with little or no money to continue operating. It changed the way houses were built and showed us the importance of having hurricane shutters that are up to code.
Do you remember where you were when the storm hit? I remember I was working at a K Mart store in West Palm helping out with redoing the store. Nobody there really knew a lot of what was going on. The storm on the morning of August 23 was only a small 105-mph hurricane. The storm rapidly developed as it marched to the west. While I was on lunch, I listened to an am station I was able to hear from the Bahamas and heard that the storm was getting stronger and still moving west towards Florida. By 2:00 pm the storm was up to 135 mph! By now I was beginning to panic. Hurricane warnings were now up for the Bahama Islands. I went inside and told the gruesome facts to my co-workers. When I got home that night, I closely monitored the storm trying to make a decision on what to do. I did not have shutters at the time and since I have a frame house, I decided to stay at my sister’s, which was close by. There we all waited patiently for the worse. Finally, morning came and there were really only some wind gusts and not really that much rain. We figured we really lucked out. After checking the news, we realized that the worse of the storm had passed well to our south. It was not until later that reality really set in as the new helicopters started showing the gruesome reality!
My travels down the Turnpike to West Palm after the storm were far from normal. I can still vision the endless procession of military vehicles heading toward the devastated areas. I saw many cars driving with no windshields and in some cases, no tops as they tried to flee the area to find a new place to live. I saw many cars that looked as though they were sandblasted and getting ready for a new paint job. While at work, I heard the many stories people had to tell about how they, in some cases, lost everything. Most stores were quickly running out of supplies such as generators and wood. We just have to pray that another storm of this magnitude does not trespass on our soil again.
Here is the official report from the National Weather Service.
August 24, l992 -- Broward, Collier, Dade, and Monroe Counties - Hurricane Andrew roared ashore in southern Dade County near Homestead and Florida City as the third-most intense land falling hurricane in U.S. History (2nd in Florida). This Category 4 hurricane caused widespread damage to homes and businesses, with many destroyed in south Dade. Many trees, power lines, light poles, etc., were downed in many areas from Broward County on the north to Collier County on the west and to Dade County and the upper Keys on the south. Fifteen people were killed as a direct result of the storm, mostly from flying debris and collapsing roofs, walls, or falling furniture. Twenty-six others were killed indirectly. Some of these deaths occurred while cleaning up storm debris and from auto accidents related to nonfunctional traffic lights and debris across roadways. Property damage was estimated to have exceeded $25 billion, and crop damage was at least $l billion, making Andrew the most costly weather disaster in U.S. History. The natural reef housing coral and other marine life was very badly damaged. Ocean Reef in the extreme upper Keys also suffered heavy damage. About 660,000 people were without power for period of from a few hours to several months.
Here are some more events that happened the week of the August 23rd.
August 27 – 28, l964 - Eastern Peninsula of Florida - Hurricane Cleo, a small, but destructive storm, moved northward into Biscayne Bay early on the 27th and continued northward a short distance inland and roughly parallel to the Florida east coast all the way to Jacksonville by midday on the 28th. Strongest winds and greatest damages were in 20 to 35 mile wide coastal strip from Miami to Melbourne. Storm intensity north of Melbourne was such that only minor damages resulted. The storm surge was less than four feet in Miami, five feet above normal in Fort Lauderdale, and five to six feet above normal in Pompano Beach. No serious tidal damage was reported. Principal damages were glass breakage in unprotected storefronts, Miami Beach hotels and motels and other unprotected glass. Many building and contents suffered water damage after the windows gave away. Other major damages were uprooted trees, disrupted communications and power failures in the southern sections, sand blasted buildings and automobiles, overturned parked aircraft and agricultural losses. Rainfall connected with this storm was light in the state and there were only isolated reports of flooding. Measured storm totals varied from five to 8 inches in the coastal areas of north Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties to mostly between three and 5 inches in the coastal areas farther north. Three tornadoes were reported, causing minor injuries.
August 28, l954 -- Jefferson, Columbia, Alachua, and Orange Counties - Thunderstorm winds and hail struck Alachua and Orange Counties. A tornado touched down briefly in Orlando and ripped up three large oaks. Trees, wire lines, and TV antennas were downed in many areas. Considerable wind damage to roofs and several automobiles were hit by falling trees. Lightning at Lake City killed a child. Several others were injured.
I sincerely hope you enjoyed this week’s time capsule and I will see you next week. As always, for the latest weather and tropical updates, go to JOESDISCOWEATHERCENTRAL.COM.