LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Hurricane Andrew
built 487 days ago
By almost any traditional measure, Hurricane Andrew was the worst natural disasters in disaster recovery history. In addition to the staggering human cost, the valuation of destroyed property was the largest in United States history. At the time of this special report, thousands of individuals and families remain homeless, with no prospects for returning home within weeks; it may be years before life returns to normal in this stricken area.
Source:
When Hurricane Andrew was threatening the Florida coast, only one television station was aboard the Hurricane Hunter plane when it flew through the eye of Andrew as it approached the Bahamas. The story reporting that flight was overshadowed by the Andrew disaster, so for the first time in 15 years, here's your chance to fly through the heart of Andrew.
Source:
When Hurricane Andrew entered the Gulf of Mexico, it re-intensified to category 4 status. However, the storm never recovered its pre-Florida landfall intensity. The lowest barometric pressure recorded while the storm was over the Gulf of Mexico was 27.52/936mb at 4:00pm on August 25, 1992. Approximately two hours later, Hurricane Andrew slowed and started to curve northwestward towards the south-central Louisiana coast. Central barometric pressures continued to rise, and Hurricane Andrew gradually lost strength. The storm was downgraded to category 3 status prior to landfall on the Louisiana coast.
Source:
The effects of Hurricane Andrew on Florida wetlands were considerable. In the Florida Everglades, 25%, 70,000 acres (280 km²) of trees were knocked down by the storm. It took 20 days for new trees and vegetation to grow following the storms passing. Damage to marine life was moderate as the storm increased the turbidity and lowered the oxygen level in the water, threatening many fish and other marine wildlife. In addition, the storm killed 182 million fish in the basin, causing $160 million (1992 USD) in lost value.[36] In the decade after the storm, Hurricane Andrew may have contributed to the massive and sudden housing boom in Broward County, Florida. Located just north of Miami-Dade County, residents who had lost their homes migrated to western sections of the county that were just starting to be developed.
Source:
Around 4:30am, the eye of Hurricane Andrew was centered over Biscayne Bay. High storm surges occurred from near Turkey Point to as far north as Miami. Seawater inundated numerous homes along the coast. Key Biscayne was submerged during the storm. The highest storm surge was over 16 feet NGVD in Derring and Saga Bays. Many boats moored at Black Point and Coconut Grove marinas were damaged or destroyed.
Source:
Prior to Hurricane Andrew, comprehensive hurricane evacuation studies had been completed for the lower southeast Florida coast (Monroe, Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties). These studies and their associated work products were jointly funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the State of Florida Department of Community Affairs, and the National Weather Service. The Jacksonville District of the Corps of Engineers served as project manager for both the 1983 base study and the 1991 study update for lower southeast Florida.
Source:
MORE ABOUT
Hurricane Andrew