In honor of the 30 year anniversary, take a look at the photos from the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew destruction back in 1992. Today, August 24, marks the 30 year anniversary of the Category 5 Hurricane Andrew that devastated Southeast Florida. The Big One made landfall in Miami-Dade county with gusting winds measured at 177 MPH and produced a storm surge up to 13 feet. South Florida residents had their lives turned upside down with the devastating damage caused by the storm.
Back in those days, meteorologists didn’t have the storm tracking technology that we have today. Two days before Andrew made landfall the storm rapidly strengthened to the first hurricane of that season. The next day, the first hurricane warning was issued in South Florida. However, just 24 hours later South Floridians were greeted with the worst storm Florida has ever seen.
According to the National Hurricane Center, Hurricane Andrew caused $26.5 billion in damage. This made The Big One the most expensive and most destructive hurricane on record in American history at the time. There were 26 deaths directly related to the storm, and left about 250,000 people homeless.
Thankfully, there have been improvements in technology over the years. But the science is still not exactly perfect.
Take a look at these aftermath photos from 1992 courtesy of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
