One Of The Worst Disasters In U.S. History Happened Right Here In Florida

One of the worst disasters in the history of the United States happened right here in Florida, and for many Floridians, not a year goes by without recounting where they were and what damaged they suffered because of it. Hurricane Andrew was a force to be reckoned with and while the damage done was of epic proportions, this hurricane changed the game for how we handle these massive storm threats to this day.

Hurricane Andrew was one of the most destructive events to take place in United States history.

Here we are, 25 years later, and this hurricane still haunts those who have lived through it.

Hurricane Andrew was one of the very few Category 5 hurricanes to hit the United States, striking Florida and the Bahamas in August 1992.

Andrew caused damage to Florida, the likes of which nobody had ever seen before.

What began as a Tropical Depression over the eastern Atlanta Ocean spent a week strengthening over warm-temperature waters.

In some parts of Southern Florida, Andrew was churning up winds that peaked at 177 m.p.h..

These winds ended up spawning at least 28 tornadoes all along the Gulf Coast.

Almost 1.5 million people lost power during the height of the storm, and the damage that was done topped $25 billion dollars.

Nearly 700,000 acres of trees had fallen in the Everglades, including the destruction of a nearby Burmese python facility, which released the snakes into the wild.

The rainfall too, was most significant during Andrew, as nearly 14 inches of rain collected during the storm in Western Dade County.

Luckily, storm shelters were set up throughout the state of Florida, allowing residents a temporary home to escape the destruction.

Many homes and lives were destroyed or uprooted due to this massive tempest, which left years of rebuilding in its wake.

Many, many Floridians have a personal Hurricane Andrew story to tell. If you feel like you would like to share your own Hurricane Andrew story, we encourage you to do so in the comments section.