Hurricane

What Hurricane Andrew did to us on Aug. 24, 1992. See it in pictures, video and words

Where were you on Aug. 24, 1992?

If you were in South Florida, surely you remember.

Hurricane Andrew changed our lives.

As we look back on another anniversary of a storm that destroyed parts of South Miami-Dade, ripped families from their homes, turned us into survivalists with no power or landmarks, we warily keep an eye on all the systems being tracked this season by the National Hurricane Center.

Even if you weren’t in the Miami area for Andrew, you saw what Hurricane Ian did to Southwest Florida in 2022.

So let’s take a look back at Hurricane Andrew, the 1992 monster that was “knocking at the front door” on Aug. 23 and then caused “destruction at dawn” on Aug. 24.

WHAT IT LOOKED LIKE

Flamingos huddling in the bathroom of Miami Metrozoo (later renamed Zoo Miami). Ron Magill along with the staff of then Miami Metrozoo) rounded up the flamingos and put them in the bathroom for safety against Hurricane Andrew in August 1992.
Flamingos huddling in the bathroom of Miami Metrozoo (later renamed Zoo Miami). Ron Magill along with the staff of then Miami Metrozoo) rounded up the flamingos and put them in the bathroom for safety against Hurricane Andrew in August 1992. Ron Magill
Harold Keith, 69, returned to his Florida City trailer park to find his home flattened by the 165-mph sustained winds of Hurricane Andrew. The Category 5 storm roared through South Miami-Dade on Aug. 24, 1992.
Harold Keith, 69, returned to his Florida City trailer park to find his home flattened by the 165-mph sustained winds of Hurricane Andrew. The Category 5 storm roared through South Miami-Dade on Aug. 24, 1992. C.M. Guerrero Miami Herald file
In ‘Untitled,’ shot in 1992, Marjorie Conklin cools off in a tub of water filled with a hose, surrounded by what’s left of her south Miami-Dade County home several days after the destruction of Hurricane Andrew.
In ‘Untitled,’ shot in 1992, Marjorie Conklin cools off in a tub of water filled with a hose, surrounded by what’s left of her south Miami-Dade County home several days after the destruction of Hurricane Andrew. C.W. Griffin Miami Herald file
Hurricane Andrew hit South Florida with sustained winds of 165 mph and gusts over 200 mph as a Category 5 storm on Aug. 24, 1992. Andrew hammered Homestead and the rest of South Miami-Dade, killed 15 people in Miami-Dade and was indirectly responsible for at least 25 more deaths. It destroyed 25,000 homes in South Florida and damaged more than 101,000 others, as seen in this file photo.
Hurricane Andrew hit South Florida with sustained winds of 165 mph and gusts over 200 mph as a Category 5 storm on Aug. 24, 1992. Andrew hammered Homestead and the rest of South Miami-Dade, killed 15 people in Miami-Dade and was indirectly responsible for at least 25 more deaths. It destroyed 25,000 homes in South Florida and damaged more than 101,000 others, as seen in this file photo. Miami Herald file

THE FRONT PAGES

Cover page (page 1, section A) of the special edition of the Miami Herald published Monday, Aug. 24, 1992, on the day Hurricane Andrew arrived in South Miami-Dade.
Cover page (page 1, section A) of the special edition of the Miami Herald published Monday, Aug. 24, 1992, on the day Hurricane Andrew arrived in South Miami-Dade. Miami Herald Staff Miami Herald File


The Miami Herald section front on Aug. 25, 1992, the day after Hurricane Andrew decimated South Miami-Dade. “Destruction at Dawn.”
The Miami Herald section front on Aug. 25, 1992, the day after Hurricane Andrew decimated South Miami-Dade. “Destruction at Dawn.” Miami Herald File
The Miami Herald front page on Friday, Aug. 28, 1992. “We Need Help” as Hurricane Andrew aftermath overwhelmed during relief efforts in Miami-Dade.
The Miami Herald front page on Friday, Aug. 28, 1992. “We Need Help” as Hurricane Andrew aftermath overwhelmed during relief efforts in Miami-Dade. Miami Herald File
Front pages from the first week of Hurricane Andrew in 1992.
Front pages from the first week of Hurricane Andrew in 1992.

TO READ

Hurricane Andrew’s legacy: Five ways one storm forever changed South Florida

‘I saw things that defied physics.’ What it was like to survive Hurricane Andrew in Miami

What Hurricane Andrew did to South Florida on August 24, 1992: destruction at dawn

How nine people survived Hurricane Andrew as it destroyed their South Miami-Dade motel

Leonard Pitts Jr.: We’ve moved on from Hurricane Andrew, but not as far as you might think

What was it like to go through Hurricane Andrew? See for yourself with these pictures

VIDEOS

This story was originally published August 23, 2023 at 11:40 AM with the headline "What Hurricane Andrew did to us on Aug. 24, 1992. See it in pictures, video and words."

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Jeff Kleinman
Miami Herald
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Consumer Team Editor Jeff Kleinman oversees coverage for health, shopping, real estate, tourism and recalls/scams/fraud.
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