Thirty years ago, Hurricane Andrew was a major assault on South Florida residents and property owners. What feels like a lifetime ago to some, feels like yesterday to others who lived in the hardest hit areas. Here’s a recap of what the Category 5 hurricane was like for those that lived through it.
Disaster Strikes
On August 24, 1992, Hurricane Andrew struck, killing 65 people and destroying 63,000 homes. This horrible storm left over 175,000 people homeless and a million more without power. The hardest hit areas were Homestead, Florida City, and Naranja Lakes – which were almost entirely left in rubble.
Chaotic Recovery
According to many involved, the recovery effort after Hurricane Andrew was disorganized at best. The effort lacked real leadership and struck another blow to a community that was already suffering so much. However, the silver lining in a huge mess was that once the recovery was underway, it exposed flaws in existing building codes. Sub-par construction was uncovered, which highlighted real changes that needed to be made before another storm of this size hits again.
Florida is Ready
Most experts agree that if another store of Hurricane Andrew were to hit South Florida today, it would be prepared. There have been substantial improvements made to local building codes and construction materials since the storm. Bryan Norcross, a weather anchor who spent 23 consecutive hours on air when Hurricane Andrew hit, said this of the new building codes: “The building codes used in Dade and Broward county are the best hurricane building codes in the world. It’s a direct result of Hurricane Andrew.”
When storms hit, let Peter Johnson and Fair Claim Settlement handle the insurance headache for you. A public insurance adjuster will do all the insurance claim work for you, so you can focus on getting your home back to normal.
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