Ari Roby & Casey Klusman
Blog 7
Hurricane Andrew of 1992
Overview:
Hurricane Andrew took place on August 24th, 1992 in South Florida. This was a category five hurricane which is catastrophic with winds up to 165 miles per hour. Hurricane Andrew was the most expensive natural disaster in U.S History as of 1992 until Hurricane Katrina came in 2005 according to the National Park Services. This was the most dangerous disaster to ever hit South Flordia. The hurricane also leftover 250,000 people homeless and 82,000 businesses were destroyed or damaged. A little over 25 people also died and 445 were injured or became ill due to the natural disaster. Only three category five hurricanes have happened in the US and Hurricane Andrew was one of them which cost about twenty-six billion dollars in damages.
Communication:
The human impact described by the stories coming out after Hurricane Andrew is devastating. The hurricane hit south of Miami, heavily impacting poorer families in Dade County, especially the families of migrant workers and struggling young families, according to a 1992 New York Times article published the day after Andrew struck. One story tells of a family that owned a fish market and was forced to huddle in the fish locker for hours, wondering whether they were about to die. Another tells of a group of strangers at a motel desperately trying to hold the ceiling together above them as the wind beat down. Looting was rampant as people tried to scavenge supplies so they could survive the coming days. In addition to making 250,000 people homeless, the storm also knocked out the power for 1.3 million households. Due to Andrew occurring before the widespread use of cellphones, this made communication with friends, family and rescue services very difficult. It also completely destroyed Homestead Air Force Base, causing further complications for 6,500 militaries and 1,000 civilian workers according to a Miami Herald article reflecting on Andrew’s devastating impact.
Vulnerability:
One key factor that led to the destruction that Andrew caused was its sheer size. Though it is a relatively small hurricane in terms of size, it had rainbands stretching about 100 miles out on either side of the eye, meaning the storm itself was over 200 miles wide. Compounding this, the extreme wind speed reached the peak of the hurricane was nearly 175 miles per hour. It was ranked at the time as having the third most intense landfall in United States history, only having been surpassed hurricanes Michael and Katrina and Maria since. Due to the Miami area’s coastal location, its vulnerability to Hurricanes is greatly increased, especially due to the warm waters in the area that help to increase wind speeds. Additionally, the technology of the time-limited immediate assistance that was able to be given. Nowadays when a storm hits, one is able to call the police or fire department using their cellphone should power go out. However, due to it being 1992, cell phones were not widely used, limiting people’s ability to communicate and perform immediate aid when necessary.
Future Improvements & Implementation
A strategy that can be used to protect people is to be prepared. Having a bag ready with supplies just in case something happens is a great way to ensure safety. Another strategy would be Mitigation, which is also a great way to ensure that you are protected because it minimizes the effects of hazardous events. This also helps with reducing the chances of an emergency happening. This also reduces the damages of an emergency in case it still happens. Another way to prepare for a natural disaster is to educate yourself on them. Education to explain land use and regulations is very important. You should make sure where you are moving does not flood a lot or is prone to disasters. Being aware of the environment you choose to live in is very important in ensuring that you are prepared. A potential barrier to adopting the strategies is the cost. Implementing ways to mitigate in your areas can be extremely costly. The land has to be purchased in areas that are prone to disasters which can be very expensive. Being prepared for any natural disaster is at least having the essentials you need and an evacuation plan if need be. Programs to help ensure that places that are more subject to disasters are taken care of like Florida should be funded by the city or government. There are many websites for getting insurance on your home in Florida due to the amount of flooding. Implementing the right kind of machinery to help with flooding and other things could become damaged in the disaster which is another barrier. Implementation can be difficult depending on the area and the amount of money available in that space.
Bibliography
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00020139.htm
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/special-reports/hurricane-andrew/article169038402.html
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/weather/hurricane/article32006499.html
https://www.nytimes.com/1992/08/25/us/hurricane-andrew-amid-wreckage-survivors-tell-their-stories.html
https://www.nps.gov/articles/hurricane-andrew-1992.htm
https://www.iii.org/article/hurricane-andrew-fact-sheet