08/24/2022
30 years ago today
While the storm also caused major damage in the Bahamas and Louisiana, the greatest impact was felt in South Florida, where the storm made landfall as a Category 5 hurricane, with 1-minute sustained wind speeds as high as 165 mph (265 km/h) and a gust as high as 174 mph (280 km/h). Passing directly through the city of Homestead in Dade County (now known as Miami-Dade County), the hurricane stripped many homes of all but their concrete foundations. In total, Andrew destroyed more than 63,500 houses, damaged more than 124,000 others, caused $27.3 billion in damage (equivalent to $53 billion in 2021),[nb 1] and left 65 people dead.