THE YEAR IS 1992- THE MOTH AUGUST HURRICANE ANDREW COMES AND CHANGES OUR LIFES FOR EVER

My husband and I live in Fort Lauderdale Florida-

My Mother and Father are retired my father is 89 years old and my Mother is in her 80’s

they have a town house in Cutler Ridge South Miami.

My sister and her husband have two homes 5 blocks from our parents; they reside in one and the other is rented (which is next door to theirs)

My nephew my sister’s son has a town house diagonally from our parents.

August 23-1992

4;pm

My sister is concerned about the hurricane; they live in an area where it has become mandatory for people to leave; they have started to evacuate. She calls on the phone and is anxious about our parents so we decide for her to drive them up to our house.

5;pm

My sister's husband goes to Coral Gables where his elderly mother lives by herself- he takes the dog and the cats with him.

My sister’s tenants next door are a young couple from up north and decided to stay home. my sister begs them to leave; but no, they stay

Their decision to stay turns into devastating consequences they had to ride out the storm in the farthest corner of the garage covered up with mattresses. We found them in the morning terrorized actually traumatized by the experience.

I think they packed what ever they could find and went back up north.

It was a blessing that the garage was under the house that saved their lifes

5;30

My sister’s son drives to Coral Gables with his girl friend to her Parents house.

The traffic is horrendous and it takes my sister almost 3 hours to arrive at our house. During regular days it takes 45 to one hour from her house.

7;pm

After we dine our parents retire to the guest bedroom and we stay up

The winds become very strong and the noise of things flying about is bad; but we are not alarmed only a little nervous since we have gone all the way through hurricanes before. Shutters are coming off the windows and my husband is fighting them, Hooking them, brazing them with what ever we have at hand

The wind is to strong the porch shutters are made out of steel But they are bowing as if they where made out of cardboard………

6;am August 28

We loose power for a while and by 6 am the news is devastating

TV is on….

the pictures from the helicopter show everything leveled to the ground. Around our house there are a lot of trees down a lot of trash but things are ok.

8am my husband and my sister drive to Miami

I stay home with my parents which by now are in shock. Not much talk only glued to the TV screen. We are weeping; we sit there incredulous…….. there are no communications and we wait until my husband calls from a patrol car they meet on the way home.

His voice is low; he is sobbing his only words “nothing is left here everything is gone; we had trouble finding the street…. no street signs, no trees no color… everything is black and white the storm took off all the paint from everything trees are gone what is left are bare black sticks laying all over-- nothing is left” I hang up the phone Mother is looking at me and she sees my face…

she falls to the floor saying “my house is gone?” she passes out.

THE NEIGHBORHOOD

We could not find the street!

THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND SHOPPING AREAS 8 to 10 BLOCKS FROM OUR PARENT’S AND MY SISTER’S HOUSE

Collapsed Strip-mall Roof This damage occurred at a short strip mall on the Turnpike near Quail Roost Drive. Note the toppled precast concrete roof support beams, with embedded rebars. Here, 110+ kt east winds blew out the east-facing plate glass windows of the storefronts, and pushed the walls outward enough for the roof to fall in.

Looking WNW

On August 24, 1992 at 5:00 A.M.

Hurricane Andrew hit the Florida Coast South of Miami in Homestead Florida. With Sustained winds of 145 mph, gusts were recored at 164 mph in Coral Gables.

Andrew crossed the state moving at 18 mph. Hurricane force winds extended up to Pompano Bch Florida and Naples and South to Vaca Key. 48 total deaths were atributed to Andrew in the Bahamas, Florida and Louisiana. Andrew was the costliest and most destructive Hurricane so far, with damage estimates of more then 25 million dollars. Florida Agricultural industry loss was 1.04 billion. Ninety percent of all homes in Dade County had roof damage and 117,000 homes were destroyed or had major damage. Andrews pressure bottomed out at 27.23 inches the third lowest this century in the Atlantic Ocean.

Looking SSW.

The Holiday Inn along the Turnpike in south Dade County. Almost every window, and a few doors, were blown out; and much of the main roof sign was gone. It took two direct eyewall hits sandwiched around a short period inside the northern part of the eye -- and remained largely intact. Despite the ugly superficial damage, this steel-reinforced concrete edifice stayed structurally sound, and soon reopened for business.

Rubble in a convenience store, with the roof missing. This was on the S side of Quail Roost at the Turnpike, part of a different strip mall than the "Botanica" in the last photo. What a mess. Parts of the roof fell into the store; while other pieces were scattered for several blocks westward. Insulation dangled loosely here and there. All plate-glass windows were blown out, with store contents turned into projectiles and heaps of trash.

Looking SSW.

Aftermath- My parents never left our home;

we went back to see if we could find anything that was worth salvaging but everything was wet

destroyed or too dirty to even Consider picking up.

Family photos important papers everything was gone;

sometime afterwards someone found papers with my

fathers name on them; they where found blocks from

their town house. My sister and her husband went back home to no water, no lights no gasoline, no food.

I had to walk my neiborhood asking for ice because there was no ice to be had at any price for miles around and my sister had no water for months.

Our brother that lived in Atlanta came down with a big truck full of supply’s donated by all his neighbors and friends there where loads of batteries can food clothes, bed linens pots and pans..........

Tools generators and best of all some of his people came down to give a hand.

My sister’s house was a two story house on the lake-

that day we both sat on top of the rubble and cry looking at the lake full of her upstairs furnish and

the books from their never to be recover art library

with beautifull art from all over the world….

everything gone.

Today they have a new house in the same lot.

The house next door was sold as a lot the same as the other two townhouses where our parents and my nephew lived.

Two months after the hurricane our Father died

from a broken heart after loosing everything he had.

Today our Mother is 93 years old and lives in Miami

with my sister and her husband.

The Untold Story- from the Journal of an Insurance Adjuster

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Aug. 29, 1992- I had one of my three sons drive me to the airport at 6:45 in the morning. I carried a heavy ladder, and the biggest suitcase I had. I was stuck on the last seat on the plane- right over the engine noise. It was a long flight from Seattle to Miami. I developed a terrible headache. After arriving in Miami, I had a long wait for my luggage and then I had to pick up my rental car. By this time my head was throbbing. I had fifteen blocks to drive to get to the hotel, where I could take my aspirin. However, it was dark, flooded, and there were no street signs to guide me. It took me 45 minutes to reach my hotel. Upon arriving at the hotel I was told there was no water to take my aspirin. I searched in vain for a machine with liquid of any sort. Finally I went down to the kitchen, where for $5.00 they give me a soda pop. I checked in at the desk for messages. There were none. I lay awake wondering what tomorrow would bring. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Aug. 30- I drove my car over to join my company team and receive instructions. Before setting off for my designated area, I buy bottled water, batteries, an umbrella, and a rain poncho. My first assignment was 4 claims- on the same street. Then I drove toward Homestead. I was only halfway there when I began seeing the totally unbelievable destruction. I couldn't believe how bad it was, and I was only halfway there. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- August 31- I paid over $200,000 today in just one day. I found myself very emotionally upset at the severe destruction. Not only that- it was difficult to drive around without any street signs. Everywhere that I stopped the people would rush around my car, which had the signs of my insurance company on it, asking for help. People were sitting outside of what was left of their homes, with their insurance company's names and their policy numbers written on whatever part of their home was left standing. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- September 6th- I am being transferred into the hardest hit area of Hurricane Andrew. I write home "the only way to describe the destruction of this type of thing is to see it for yourself. I have seen a lot of storm damage in the past, but what sets this apart, is that it goes on for miles and miles. Today I was in a retired couples condominium. They were essentially camping out. The roof was gone, there was no air-conditioning, and they were living on a concrete floor. I have not seen these types of conditions since I left Mexico over 20 years ago". -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- September 20th- A lot of people here are under a lot of stress. Many of the claims are difficult to do, because the owners have just left. There are so many, many claims, and the people that are still here are so desperate. The pressure to get them all done as quickly as possible is severe. There are not enough hours in the day, and we are all feeling the burden of the long, hours of endless work. Many adjusters have left- unable to take to strain. Some did not last for more than a few days. It's like being in a "war zone". I must try and take a day off to relieve my stress. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- September 28th- I called my wife tonight. It is hard on her for me to be gone so long. While I am talking to her, there is gunfire in the background. I hope she doesn't hear it. Yesterday, when I was doing a claim, 3 young men came up to the house with guns. The owner and I stood outside while they took away what was left in the house. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Oct 5th- Finally I am going home- for a few days. Then I must come back. I don't want to, but I am needed. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Oct. 8th- My son again drove me to the airport at 6:30 in the morning. This time I am prepared. I know what to expect. It does not make it easier. As I am flying away from Seattle again, I think of my wife and three sons, and how much I am going to miss while I am gone. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- November 6th- the work goes on and on, but I will not be here to do it. This is my last night. Tomorrow I am going home and will not be back. I pray for these poor people and all they have been through. It has been so stressful for everyone involved. So many people have left. One of the other adjusters from my company had his hair turn totally white while he was here. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- November 7th- I got up at 6:00 AM for my flight. After another very long day, I am finally home. When I got home, I found my luggage had been opened, and the money I had put in there was gone. After all I had done to help these people, it seemed a real "slap in the face". I was later to learn that luggage theft at the Miami airport was common. I wish I had known. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- November 8th- It's Sunday, and after going to Church, I rested all day. There will be no other rest for me, as I have to go back to my regular job tomorrow. Tomorrow I will tell my wife the things that I dare not tell her when I was in Florida. It would have upset her too much. When she knows the whole story, she will understand why I am going out tomorrow to buy a gun.