Episode 104
Hurricane Andrew
Thu, 2017-Aug-17 00:53 UTC
Length - 5:45
Direct Link
Welcome to featured Wiki of the Day where we read the summary of the featured Wikipedia article every day.
The featured article for Thursday, 17 August 2017 is Hurricane Andrew.
Hurricane Andrew was a Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that struck Florida in August 1992, the most destructive ever to hit that state. It was the costliest hurricane to make landfall anywhere in the United States until surpassed by Katrina in 2005. Andrew caused major damage in the Bahamas and Louisiana, but the greatest impact was in South Florida, with sustained wind speeds as high as 165 mph (270 km/h). Passing directly through the city of Homestead in Miami-Dade County, it stripped many homes of all but their concrete foundations. In total, it destroyed more than 63,500 houses, damaged more than 101,000 others, caused $26.5 billion in damage, and left 65 people dead.
Andrew began as a tropical depression over the eastern Atlantic Ocean on August 16. After spending a week without significant strengthening in the central Atlantic, it rapidly intensified into a powerful Category 5 hurricane while moving westward toward the Bahamas on August 23. Though it briefly weakened to Category 4 while traversing the island nation, it regained its Category 5 status before making landfall on Elliott Key and Homestead. With a barometric pressure of 922 mbar (27.23 inHg) at the time of landfall in Florida, Andrew is the fourth most intense hurricane to strike the United States. Several hours later, the hurricane emerged over the Gulf of Mexico at Category 4 strength, with the Gulf Coast of the United States in its path. After turning northwestward and weakening further, Andrew moved ashore near Morgan City, Louisiana, as a low-end Category 3 storm. After moving inland, the small hurricane curved northeastward and rapidly lost its intensity, merging with a frontal system over the southern Appalachian Mountains on August 28.
Hurricane Andrew first inflicted structural damage as it moved through the Bahamas, especially in Cat Cays, lashing the islands with storm surge, hurricane-force winds, and tornadoes. About 800 houses were destroyed in the archipelago, and there was substantial damage to the transport, water, sanitation, agriculture, and fishing sectors. Andrew left four dead and $250 million in damage throughout the Bahamas. In parts of southern Florida, Andrew produced severe winds; a wind gust of 177 mph (282 km/h) was observed at a house in Perrine. The cities of Florida City, Homestead, and Cutler Ridge received the brunt of the storm. As many as 1.4 million people lost power at the height of the storm. In the Everglades, 70,000 acres (280 km2) of trees were downed, while invasive Burmese pythons began inhabiting the region after a nearby facility housing them was destroyed. Rainfall in Florida was substantial, peaking at 13.98 inches (355 mm) in western Miami-Dade County. In Florida, Andrew killed 44 and left a record $25 billion in damage.
Prior to making landfall in Louisiana on August 26, Andrew caused extensive damage to oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico, leading to $500 million in losses for oil companies. It produced hurricane-force winds along its path through Louisiana, damaging large stretches of power lines that left about 230,000 people without electricity. Over 80% of trees in the Atchafalaya River Basin were downed, and the agriculture there was devastated. Throughout the basin and Bayou Lafourche, 187 million freshwater fish were killed in the hurricane. With 23,000 houses damaged, 985 others destroyed, and 1,951 mobile homes demolished, property losses in Louisiana exceeded $1.5 billion. The hurricane caused the deaths of 17 people in the state, 6 of whom drowned offshore. Andrew spawned at least 28 tornadoes along the Gulf Coast, especially in Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi. In total, Andrew left 65 dead and caused $26.5 billion in damage. It is currently the fourth costliest Atlantic hurricane to hit the United States, behind only Katrina, Sandy, and Ike, and the fifth costliest Atlantic hurricane, behind those and Wilma.
This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:53 UTC on Thursday, 17 August 2017.
For the full current version of the article, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Andrew.
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