TITLE: Hurricane Andrew: a trace of painful learning 30 years ago
SLUG: 30 years of Hurricane Andrew
DATE: August 26, 2022
AUTHOR: José Pernalete
EDITOR: Luis Alonso
PLACE: Miami
VIDEO SOURCE:
DURATION: 01:30
((INTRO))
Hurricane Andrew, one of the most powerful of the 20th century, wreaked havoc 30 years ago on the Atlantic coast of the United States. In Florida, survivors of this natural tragedy and authorities take advantage of the anniversary to remember the most effective way to respond to these phenomena…
((TEXT))
Images that have remained in the memory of survivors of Hurricane Andrew were fixed in the memory of an entire country 30 years ago… Between August 16 and 28, 1992, the force of this category 5 storm devastated everything in its path to the enter the coast of southern Florida, with winds greater than 280 Km/H…
In Homestead, the agricultural zone of the Sunshine State, the worst damage of this deadly storm was focused… Andrew caused dozens of deaths throughout his entire trajectory…
((Daniela Levine-Cava/Alcaldesa Condado Miami-Dade))
“Andrew killed 65 people, destroyed 73,000 homes, left 175,000 people homeless and a million people without power, and left Homestead and Florida City nearly in ruins.”
From that cyclone, the first on the list of hurricanes in that season, the monitoring protocols, prior management of preventive evacuations and housing construction policies changed completely to guarantee greater security…
((Kevin Guthrie/Emergency Management Florida State))
“Hurricane Andrew remains the most destructive hurricane to hit Florida… This is why the division continues to emphasize the importance of disaster preparedness and planning ahead of the storm.”
((Daniela Levine-Cava/Alcaldesa Condado Miami-Dade))
“Andrew taught us how to better prepare for a storm and better protect and feed our people and our children…”
During the most recent hurricane seasons, damage has been reduced despite forceful phenomena. The authorities attribute it to new construction techniques on the coast, improvements in drainage systems, and the timely disclosure of the potential risk when the hurricane of the day approaches…
Throughout history, Andrew ranks fourth in the force and destruction that has affected the United States. Its passage through land generated more than 27 billion dollars in losses…
((JOSE PERNALETE, VOICE OF AMERICA, MIAMI))