Hurricane Andrew, 1992
Impact on Florida
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Date of landfall (FL): August 24, 1992 |
Lives lost (FL): 44 (65 total) |
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Category/wind speed: 5/165-174 mph |
Cost of damages: over $27.3 billion |
Hurricane Andrew was the first major hurricane in the 1990s and one of only four Category 5 storms to make landfall in the United States. The storm decimated areas of south Florida when it made landfall in Homestead on August 16, 1992.
Andrew brought winds up to 175mph with a 17ft storm surge carrying large amounts of water on land and tearing through structures not prepared to handle the destruction of such a powerful hurricane. The majority of the destruction occurred in Florida with additional damage in the Bahamas, where it struck the day prior to reaching Florida, and Louisiana, where it trailed after crossing the state. In Florida, the fallout resulted in more than $26 billion in repair needs that triggered an overhaul in building codes and restrictions.
Impact on Public Health
Public health officials from across the state joined rescue and infrastructure recovery workers to aid victims and monitor various aspects of need. Dr. Charles Mahan was a Professor of Public Health at the University of South Florida at the time and travelled to the landfall areas where he was able to assess damage and request aid needs. During his travel, he reported back to university and state organizations. His professorial papers include personal photographs Dr. Mahan took at damage sites to illustrate the scope of the damage that had taken place.
You can find extensive documentation of Mahan's first-hand experience supporting the recovery efforts in the Dr. Charles S. Mahan papers.
LGBTQ+ Community
Historically marginalized communities are often in need of specialized care after disasters. The LGBTQ+ community rallied together to provide support for victims who were HIV+ and potentially disqualified for necessary medical services. This poster, from the Diana Estorino papers. Estorino was born in Matanzas, Cuba on September 21, 1951. She became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1978 and worked as an electroencephalographic technologist in Tampa, FL. Estorino was very active in the LGBTQ+ community and edited the lesbian periodical, Network News, in the 1980s.
A Political Legacy
Hurricane Andrew's impact in Florida expanded into many areas of Florida's culture more than 30 years ago. Since Andrew, the state has seen another Category 5 storm in Hurricane Michael in 2018 with more likely in the near future. The legal and infrastructure changes from Andrew triggered intense political debate that has been tracked by historians and pundints who have investigated the fallout of the life-altering storm.