The 31^st anniversary since monster Category 5 Hurricane Andrew. August 16, 1992 to August 28, 1992. I remember it very well. I never forget, and my prayers are for the families and friends who were lost in the horrific landfall of Hurricane Andrew.

A moment of silence for the remembrance of everyone who remembered that terrible tragedy…

I remember tracking the situation on those old days watching The Weather Channel! This was such a devastating landfall, one that went down in the record books along with the Great Galveston Hurricane, Hurricane Hazel, Hurricane Gilbert, Hurricane Katrina, and many more. . .  Never forget!!!

Satellite Imagery of Hurricane Andrew:

Picture: Hurricane Andrew reached Category 5 status with max sustained winds to 160 mph before making its first landfall on Eleuthera island in the Bahamas. GOES 7 Satellite Imagery 1km Visible. August 23, 1992 1131Z/7:31 AM EDT – #Andrew30  Photo courtesy of weather.gov

Picture: Hurricane Andrew moving across the Florida Peninsula and about to enter the Gulf of Mexico with max sustained winds of 130 mph. GOES 7 Satellite Imagery 1km Visible. August 23, 1992, 1501Z/11 AM EDT – #Andrew30  Photo courtesy of weather.gov

Path & History of Hurricane Andrew:

Picture: 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. Historical interactive map of Hurricane Andrew’s path. – #Andrew30  Photo courtesy ofweather.gov

Hurricane Andrew:

Left Image: Hurricane Andrew made landfall in South Florida on Aug 24, 1992, leaving devastating destruction in its wake. – #Andrew30  Photo courtesy of weather.gov Right Image: Some of the extensive Damage to homes in Miami. (Credit: Huffington Post). – #Andrew30  Photo courtesy of weather.gov

In August of 1992, Hurricane Andrew first devastated the Caribbean Sea, and moved onto two landfalls, first being Florida, then a second U.S. landfall in Louisiana. slammed into South Florida before making a second U.S. landfall in Louisiana. At that time, it was the costliest and most damaging hurricane to ever hit the United States. Even now, almost thirty years later, Hurricane Andrew is still one of the top five most powerful hurricanes ever to strike the United States. Andrew devastated South Florida, with an an unforgettable experience for the many who lived in the community. At that time, forecasting of tropical activity was no where near what we have these days with the evolution of technology. Since then, Southeastern Florida hasn’t experienced that direct of a hit from a major hurricane, making the area vulnerable if we are not consciously taking the necessary preventive measures in order to stay safe. With drastically improved hurricane forecasts, giving communities in the path of a storm more notice gives the opportunities to prepare and take action to protect life and property. More importantly, with the evolvement of tech, we have come accustomed to relying on that technology. In the Andrew days was before the World Wide Web, smart cell phones, apps and other new tech. In those days we relied on more analog technology like the standard transistor radio, which could run off batteries alone, so that if the power went out, we were able to stay in touch with the world. So make sure that you have your NOAA.com Weather Radio ready (some come with a crank, so that batteries aren’t even necessary), so that if power goes out, you are not cut off to total communication. Also, more importantly, if you have either of generator or emergency style power back-up–as soon as the power is out in your area, internet may not work, because cable and internet service providers require power as well to function properly, also making it more impossible to communicate. Finally, the same is true for cell phone towers–they can be devastated and unusable, making “hot spots” a virtually impossible usability–in the event of a massive hurricane strike. There is never any type of communication that is not vulnerable to the power of a major storm including a hurricane. The more options you have to start before disaster–the more resources you will have during and after the storm strike. The easiest thing to do is to evacuate. Listen and take direction! It could be the single most important decision that you make in your lifetime!

Left Image: A piece of plywood driven through the trunk of a royal palm. – #Andrew30  Photo courtesy of weather.gov Right Image: Pine trees snapped by force of wind at Pinewoods Villa. – #Andrew30  Photo courtesy of weather.gov

Here Is A Brief History On Hurricane Andrew, Courtesy of weather.gov:
A tropical wave emerged from the west coast of Africa on August 14, 1992. The wave spawned a tropical depression on August 16th and became Tropical Storm Andrew on August 17th. The development was slow, as the tropical system encountered an unfavorable environment, and the storm almost dissipated on August 20th. Andrew continued on a northwest track and then took a turn westward by August 21. In doing so, the storm moved into a more favorable environment for development and began to strengthen. As a result, Andrew reached hurricane status on August 22, when it was located 650 miles southeast of Nassau, Bahamas. Twenty-four hours later, Andrew underwent rapid intensification and became a major hurricane Category 5. The hurricane reached its peak intensity of 175 mph with a minimum pressure of 922 millibars Sunday afternoon. The storm first made landfall on Eleuthera Island in the Bahamas with maximum sustained winds of 160 mph on August 23rd. After briefly weakening, Andrew regained category 5 status with winds up to 165 mph on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. The hurricane made landfall on Elliott Key, Florida, and then near Homestead on the morning of August 24. The storm continued to move westward into the Gulf of Mexico, where it gradually turned northwestward, bringing Andrew into central Louisiana on August 26 as a Category 3 hurricane. Once inland, the storm turned to the northeast and eventually merged with a frontal system over the mid-Atlantic states on August 28. With a barometric pressure of 922 millibars at the time of landfall in Florida, Andrew is the third most intense with peak winds of 165 mph to strike the continental United States. Hurricane Andrew was responsible for 23 direct deaths in the United States and three more in the Bahamas. Hurricane Andrew was 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.

1992: HURRICANE ANDREW

STAY SAFE!!!