Ray Fairall, The Associated PressAerial view of the damage done by Hurricane Andrew is shown in this photo dated Aug. 24, 1992 in South Dade County, Florida.
Charles Krupa, The Associated PressPalm and coconut trees snap back during a gust as other trees litter Ocean Drive in the Art Deco section of Miami Beach, Aug. 24, 1992. Hurricane Andrew hit South Florida with wind speeds as high as 160-mph before moving into the Gulf of Mexico Monday.
Terry Renna, Associated Press fileIn this Aug. 24, 1992 photo, a sailboat sits on a sidewalk at Dinner Key in Miami after it was washed ashore by Hurricane Andrew. Several days after it almost dissipated, Andrew rapidly strengthened and was a Category 4 storm at landfall in Homestead, Fla. The Hurricane Center measured a peak wind gust of 164 mph. Andrew continued into the Gulf of Mexico before reaching the central Louisiana coast as a Category 3 hurricane. Andrew was blamed for 23 deaths in the U.S. and three deaths in the Bahamas and caused an estimated $26.5 billion in damage in the United States.
Lynne Sladky, The Associated PressMembers of the Florida National Guard subdue a man outside the Cutler Ridge shoe store after the guard found the store wide open. The unidentified man, carrying a firearm, was wrestled to the ground after guard members though he was looting the store. There was no evidence he was looting.
Lynn Sladky, The Associated PressJoan Wallach, left, and her daughter, Brenda, leave the Royal Palm Trailer Park in Homestead, Fla., where they lived, with suitcases they found in the debris from the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew, Monday, Aug. 24, 1992. Andrew came ashore at Homestead with winds of 160 miles per hour.
The Associated PressThis water tower, a landmark at Florida City, Fla., still stands Aug. 25, 1992, over the ruins of the Florida coastal community that was hit by the force of Hurricane Andrew. The loss of life and property caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 is expected to far exceed the wrath of the record-setting Hurricane Andrew, which struck in 1992.
Lynne Sladky, The Associated PressJoan Wallach, left, and her daughter Brenda, right, walk through the debris that was the Royal Palm Trailer Court in Homestead, Fla., Aug. 25, 1992, carrying the only possessions they could salvage from the trailer they lived in before Hurricane Andrew hit the South Florida city.
Mark Foley, Associated Press fileThis Aug. 25, 1992 photo shows rows of damaged houses between Homestead and Florida City, Fla. Two decades after Andrew devastated the area, Homestead and Florida City have doubled in size into a demographically different community, better prepared to deal with hurricanes.
Kathy Willens, The Associated PressRichard Cilinceon hugs his wife Mitzi at the site of their house trailer which they moved into in June, in Homestead, Fla., Aug. 25, 1992. Hurricane Andrew destroyed the couple's home and ruined most of their personal possessions.
Chris O'Meara, The Associated PressResidents of a Homestead, Fla. nursing home line the halls of the Richmond Heights Middle School, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 1992, in Homestead, Fla. About 70 elderly residents were evacuated Monday, many lacking medicine. Officials said their former residence was wrecked by Hurricane Andrew.
Greg Gibson, The Associated PressU.S. President George H. Bush chats with Dave Cavalier during a visit to view hurricane damage in New Iberia, La., Wednesday, Aug. 26, 1992. The president toured an area which was heavily damaged by Hurricane Andrew.
Lynne Sladky, The Associated PressA resident in Homestead, Fla., asks for help for the entire block, Aug. 26, 1992, after the area was ravaged by Hurricane Andrew earlier in the week. The sign on the roof reads "Help please! The block needs H20, can food, ice, gas, building supplies." Homestead was one of the hardest hit areas in the wake of the storm.
David Bergman, The Associated PressHomestead Police Officer Harley Foust puts on handcuffs as he arrests Anthony Minnis inside a destroyed Payless Shoe store in Homestead, Aug. 26, 1992, after Minnis was found inside the store. Police and National Guard troops patrolled against looting in Dade County Wednesday as a dusk-to-dawn curfew remained in effect.
Dave Martin, The Associated PressTed Allis sits in the remains of his living room in Lafayette, La., early Wednesday, Aug. 26, 1992, after high winds from Hurricane Andrew knocked a tree into his home. No one was injured in the incident.
Gaston de Cardenas, The Associated PressOrlando Somante, center, sits with his sons Orlando, left, and Jonathan, right, amid the rubble of their home in Cutler Ridge, with signs that warn "Looters Will be Shot", and "Danger, Crazy Cuban Inside", Aug. 27, 1992. Their home was one of many in South Dade County that was hit by Hurricane Andrew last Monday.
Lynne Sladky, Associated Press fileA Mormon church group helps Florida City, Fla. residents clear debris and build roofs in this Aug. 29 1992 file photo, as cleanup continued after Hurricane Andrew moved through the area.
David Bergman, The Associated PressA doctor helps Penelope Dixie, center, who started to go into labor prematurely, to a waiting U.S. Army helicopter as her fianc William Jones tries to comfort her, Aug. 29, 1992. The woman stopped her car to get assistance at the Campbell Middle School in Homestead, which is being used for food distribution for victims of Hurricane Andrew.
Alfredo Lee, The Associated PressA cargo plane flies over Florida City dropping mosquito insecticide on areas hit by Hurricane Andrew, Aug. 30, 1992, as officials work to contain sickness as a result of the storm which struck last Monday morning.
Phil Sandlin, The Associated PressU.S. Marines from Camp Lejeune, N.C., erect tents in Homestead, Fla., to be used to house the victims of Hurricane Andrew in this Aug. 31, 1992 photo.
Lynne Sladky, Associated Press fileIn this Sept. 1, 1992 photo, Janny Vancedarfield sits in front of the debris that was once his house in Florida City, Fla. Vancedarfield lived in this house with six other family members before it was destroyed by Hurricane Andrew in Sept. 1992. Two decades later, Homestead and Florida City have doubled in size into a demographically different community, better prepared to deal with hurricanes.
Lynne Sladky, The Associated PressPfc. Greg Squires of the 82nd Airborne Division out of Fort Bragg, N.C., stands behind a row of stacked rifles as his colleagues put up tents in Florida City, Fla., for victims of Hurricane Andrew, Aug. 31, 1992.
Wilfredo Lee, The Associated PressHelen Benedetti stands among the rubble of a trailer park in Florida City, Fla., Sept. 4, 1992, along with her insurance company representative Pete Gillespie of Dallas. Benedetti had lived in the park for over six years.
Homestead, City Hall, ho, The Associated PressAn aerial view of Homestead, Fla., taken Sept. 7, 1992 shows the devastation where 80 percent of homes were destroyed by Hurricane Andrew, ten years ago on Aug. 24, 1992. More than 9,000 of the city's 26,700 residents moved away.
Bob Strong, The Associated PressWorkers in Dade County, Fla., add to a mountain of debris Wednesday that is being collected from areas that were hit by Hurricane Andrew, Sept. 30, 1992. The debris is being picked up by trucks from other states that have driven to South Florida to help in the clean up process.
Ray Fairall, The Associated Press
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Aerial view of the damage done by Hurricane Andrew is shown in this photo dated Aug. 24, 1992 in South Dade County, Florida.
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By Glen Barber | The Denver Post
PUBLISHED:
Getting your player ready...
On Aug. 24, 1992, Andrew blasted ashore about 20 miles southwest of Miami with winds topping 165 mph (265 kph). The hurricane killed 15 people and indirectly caused the deaths of 25 more in Miami-Dade County alone, according to the National Hurricane Center. Andrew destroyed 25,524 homes and damaged another 101,241; nearly all the mobile homes in its path were completely lost. Andrew continued into the Gulf of Mexico before reaching the central Louisiana coast as a Category 3 hurricane. Andrew was blamed for 23 deaths in the U.S. and three deaths in the Bahamas and caused an estimated $26.5 billion in damage in the United States.