Hurricane Andrew

Hurricane Andrew was the most destructive hurricane in U.S. history when it struck the United States as the first named storm of the 1992 Atlantic hurricane season. It caused damage in the northwestern Bahamas, southern Florida south of Miami, and south-central Louisiana. Andrew's damage cost totaled $26 billion in 1992 ($45 billion in 2005 US dollars), mostly in south Florida. The storm caused 65 deaths. Andrew's damage total was surpassed by Hurricane Katrina in the 2005 season. In U.S. landfall records, Andrew's central pressure is the fourth lowest, and it is one of only three hurricanes to strike at Category 5.

Storm history

Andrew started modestly as a tropical wave that emerged from the west coast of Africa on August 14. The wave spawned a tropical depression on August 16 which became Tropical Storm Andrew the next day. Further development was slow, as the west-northwestward moving Andrew encountered an unfavorable upper-level trough. Indeed, the storm almost dissipated on August 20 due to vertical wind shear.

By August 21, Andrew was midway between Bermuda and Puerto Rico and then began turning westward into a more favorable environment. Rapid strengthening occurred, with Andrew reaching hurricane strength (sustained winds greater than 74 mph) on the 22nd and Category 5 status on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale on the 23rd, peaking with 175 mph (280 km/h) winds and a minimum pressure of 922 mbar (hPa) . The storm was extremely small, however, with gale-force (35 mph, 55 km/h) winds extending outwards only 90 miles (150 km) from the centerNOAA Hurricane FAQ: Question C3.

Andrew made landfall twice while moving through the Bahamas, crossing Eleuthera with 160 mph (260 km/h) winds and passing through the Berry Islands at Great Harbour Cay with sustained winds of 150 mph (240 km/h). The storm weakened after its second landfall, maintaining strong winds but with the pressure rising to 937 mbar. While crossing the Gulf Stream, however, Andrew quickly regained its strength, and briefly regained Category 5 status as it made landfall over south Florida on August 24 with 165 mph (265 km/h) winds and pressure of 922 mbar (hPa).^*

The hurricane continued westward into the Gulf of Mexico as a Category 4 hurricane, where it gradually turned northward. This motion brought Andrew to the central Louisiana coast (near Morgan City) on August 26 as a Category 3 hurricane with sustained winds near 115mph. Andrew then turned northeastward, eventually merging with a frontal system over the mid-Atlantic states on August 28.

Statistics

Reports from private barometers helped establish that Andrew's central pressure at landfall in Homestead, Florida, was 27.23 inches (922 hPa), which at the time made it the third most intense hurricane on record to hit the United States (it has since fallen to fourth, as of 2005).

Andrew's peak winds in south Florida were not directly measured due to destruction of the measuring instruments. An automated station at Fowey Rocks reported 142 mph (228 km/h) sustained winds with gusts to 200 mph (321 km/h) (measured 144 ft (43.9 m) above the ground), and higher values may have occurred after the station was damaged and stopped reporting. A meteorologist living about a mile from the shoreline recorded a gust of 212 mph (341 km/h) before his instruments were destroyed.NHC report on Andrew (December 1993)

The National Hurricane Center had a peak gust of 164 mph (272 km/h) (measured 130 ft (39.6 m) above the ground) just before the hurricane crippled its measuring devices, while a 177 mph (285 km/h) gust was measured at a private home. In 2002, as part of an ongoing review of historical hurricane records, National Hurricane Center experts concluded that Andrew briefly had sustained winds of 165 mph (265 km/h) during and before landfall (Andrew had originally been classified as a Category 4 storm at landfall) NOAA press release (August 2002).

Additionally, Berwick, Louisiana, reported 96 mph (154 km/h) sustained winds with gusts to 120 mph (193 km/h).

Records

Andrew was only the third Category 5 hurricane to hit the United States, the previous ones being Hurricane Camille (which hit Mississippi and Louisiana in August 1969) and the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 (which struck the Florida Keys in September 1935). No Category 5 hurricane in the Atlantic has struck the United States (or anywhere else) at that intensity since.

Impact

As with most high-intensity storms (Categories 4 and 5), the worst damage from Andrew is thought to have occurred not from straight-line winds but from vortices, or "miniwhirls" (something like embedded tornadoes). This was the conclusion of Tetsuya Theodore Fujita, a University of Chicago meteorologist who devised the Fujita scale for measuring the strength of tornadoes, after he surveyed Andrew's destruction in the Homestead area. There were thousands of these vortexes in Andrew; many of them could be traced for several miles, as they usually destroyed every building in their paths.

Andrew produced a 17 ft (5.2 m) storm surge near the landfall point in Florida, while storm tides of at least eight ft (2.4 m) inundated portions of the Louisiana coast. Andrew also produced a killer tornado in southeastern Louisiana. Its rainfall graphic is located here.

Andrew was responsible for 23 deaths in the United States and three more in the Bahamas. The hurricane caused $26.5 billion (1992 USD) in damage in the United States, of which $1 billion occurred in Louisiana and the rest in south Florida. Unlike most hurricanes, the vast majority of the damage in Florida was due to the winds. Damage in the Bahamas was estimated at $250 million.

The Turkey Point Nuclear Generating Station was hit directly by Andrew. Over $90 million of damage was done, largely to a water tank and to a smokestack of one of the fossil-fueled units on-site, but the containment buildings were undamaged. The nuclear plant was built to withstand winds of up to 235 mph.

Massive damage caused by Andrew at Homestead Air Force Base, very near the point of landfall on the South Florida coast, led to the closing of the base as a full active-duty base. It was later partly rebuilt and operates today as a U.S. Air Reserve base. The aircraft and squadron were relocated to Aviano AFB in Italy.

Aftermath

Andrew's catastrophic damage spawned many rumors, including claims that hundreds or even thousands of migrant farm workers in south Dade County (now Miami-Dade County) were killed and their deaths were not reported in official accounts. An investigation by the Miami Herald found no basis for such rumors. These rumors were probably based on the 1928 Okeechobee Hurricane, when the deaths of migrant workers initially went uncounted, and were still debated at the time of Andrew.

The slow response of federal aid to storm victims in southern Florida led Dade County emergency management director Kate Hale to famously exclaim at a nationally televised news conference, "Where in the hell is the cavalry on this one? They keep saying we're going to get supplies. For God's sake, where are they?" Almost immediately, President George H. W. Bush promised, "Help is on the way," and mobile kitchens and tents began pouring in. St. Petersburg Times article (August 2002)

Insurance claims in the wake of the extreme damage left by Andrew led to the bankruptcy and closure of 11 insurance agencies and drained an excessive amount of equity from 30 more. Nearly one million residences were no longer eligible for coverage by any insurance agency. This led the Florida Legislature to create new agencies (the Joint Underwriting Association, the Florida Windstorm Underwriting Association and the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund) to restore adequate insurance coverage.

Homeowners and officials criticized developers and contractors for inadequate building practices and poor building codes. An inquiry after the storm concluded that there were probably construction flaws in some buildings, and that the state of Florida did enforce some strict building codes since 1986, but they were either overlooked or ignored. Building Codes St. Petersburg Times: Hurricane Andrew 10 Year Special Edition However, the evidence was not sufficient enough to issue criminal charges for neglect.Ten Years after Hurricane Andrew St Petersburg Times

The effects of Hurricane Andrew on Florida wetlands were considerable. In the Florida Everglades, 25% (700,000 acres) of the trees in the everglades were knocked down by the storm. However, new trees and vegetation grew 20 days after 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 Louisiana, the hurricane knocked down 80 percent of the trees in part of the Atchafalaya River Basin near the coast. In addition, the storm killed 182 million fish in the basin leaving $160 million dollars (1992 USD) in lost value. Offshore, the storm killed 9.4 million fish which left $7.8 million dollars (1992 USD) in lost value, and damaged large area of marshland along the Louisiana coast. Environmental Effects of Hurricane AndrewUnited States Geological Survey Report

Conspiracy theories after Andrew

Numerous conspiracy theories spread after Hurricane Andrew. One conspiracy theory suggested that the United States Government had covered up the aftermath of Andrew for political reasons. According to this theory, many of the injured were never rescued from the devastated areas although US military , FEMA and local and state authorities were present outside the area of devastation. In addition, an eyewitness claimed that rescuers and authorities were removing dead bodies and remains and placing them in mass graves or makeshift morgues, and were sworn to secrecy. Furthermore, the witness suggested that authorities recovered nearly 1,500-5,280 bodies from the devastated areas. In addition, the eyewitness claimed that police officers stopped and refused to help when the witness asked to be taken to a hospital. Later, a rumor spread that officials had covered up damage to a nuclear power plant that was directly hit by Andrew's winds. Hurricane Andrew Aftermath and Cover upNEXUS Online Magazine

Retirement

The name Andrew was retired in the spring of 1993 and will never again be used for an Atlantic hurricane. It was replaced with Alex in the 1998 season.

Notes

References

Modified after the National Hurricane Center web site. This U.S. government site is in the public domain.

External links

Hurrikan Andrew | Huracán Andrew | Ouragan Andrew | Furacão Andrew | Hurrikaani Andrew

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