32 Years Ago: Hurricane Andrew, The Life Changer & Life Claimer

Do you remember where you were when Hurricane Andrew hit? August 24, 2024 marks 32 years since its historical and deadly devastation.

The Bahamas and Louisiana felt it, but South Florida took a direct hit.

Beginning as a tropical wave off the coast of Africa, Andrew slammed into the Metro Dade (Now Miami-Dade) cities of Cutler Bay and Homestead while it was still dark outside on that fateful day in 1992, as a Category 5 monster with maximum sustained winds at one time of 165 mph.

Andrew slowly attacked other areas to the north, hitting Fort Myers and the Gulf Coast, with storm warnings expanding from Mississippi to Louisiana.

During the time, President Bush declared South Florida a federal disaster area, and with good reason.

Andrew:

Completely destroyed more than 63,500 homes, damaged an additional 124,000 homes, caused $26.5 billion in damages and killed 65 people in its path.

940WINZ (now 610WIOD ) was live as we always are:

The following day, Aug. 25, 1992, newspapers and other local outlets detailed and recounted the horror. Headlines like "We Need Help," "Destruction At Dawn," and "The Big One" emerged throughout the state and the nation.

Some 83,000 people left Miami-Dade County in the aftermath, according to a 1995 Sun Sentinel report, and Broward County gained nearly 20,000 of Miami-Dade’s former residents.

Video of the storm's aftermath showed a devastating and desolate scene. Homes had been reduced only to rubble... tress uprooted from the ground and lining the roadways... boats washed ashore... power lines strewn about. Andrew is still seen as the MOST DESTRUCTIVE HURRICANE IN U.S. HISTORY.

To date: Hurricane Andrew is responsible for 23 direct deaths in the United States and three more in the Bahamas . The hurricane caused $27 billion in damages in 1992 dollars in the United States. The majority of the damage in Florida was caused by wind. Damage in the Bahamas was estimated at $250 million.

HistoryMiami has an exhibit in downtown Miami surrounding Andrew and its impact.

Starting this Saturday, the hurricane sales tax holiday begins!

CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS

Hurricane Ian is five times the size in terms of its extent compared to Hurricane Andrew ," said Smith. Hurricane-force winds for Andrew - a very tight cyclone - had a diameter of 50 miles compared to the much larger 240-mile diameter of Ian. Based on wind speed, Andrew was more than 200 times more powerful than Ian .

Click HERE to see how Andrew compares to other hurricanes.