The Storm of the Century: 30 Years After Hurricane Andrew

The storm slammed south of Downtown Miami, near Homestead around 5:00 a.m. on August 24th with winds of 165 Per Hour. The Miami, Florida WSR-57 Radar located on the roof of the National Hurricane Center was destroyed shortly after the last complete scan of Hurricane Andrew at landfall. Andrew weakened slightly to a Category Four while traversing South Florida for a few hours, eventually emerging over the Gulf of Mexico.

Just six named storms and one subtropical storm roamed the Atlantic Basin in the 1992 Hurricane Season. Only, one of those storms was a Category 5 Hurricane Andrew, which devastated South Florida with wind damage. About 125,000 homes were damaged or destroyed by Andrew. At the time, Andrew was the costliest natural disaster in U.S. History. Andrew is just one of four hurricanes to make landfall in the U.S. at Category 5 Strength. It defied the odds by also striking in one of the least active Atlantic Hurricane Seasons in the last 30 years.

Thirty years after Hurricane Andrew made landfall in South Florida, the City of Homestead is stronger than ever. On Saturday, August 27th, 2022 the City of Homestead will commemorate the historic 30th Anniversary of Hurricane Andrew from 12:00 p.m. noon - 5:00 p.m. at the Homestead Cybrarium located at 80 West Mowry Drive, Homestead, Florida 33030.

The event will feature many exciting elements like the unveiling of the Hurricane Andrew Virtual Reality Experience as well as kids’ learning and craft activities. Attendees will enjoy Hurricane related workshops by the National Weather Service and Florida International University as well as a diverse panel discussion that will feature firsthand accounts from community members who lived through this devastating tragedy.

The new Hurricane Andrew Virtual Reality experience will take guests through a journey of the devastation, the aftermath and how the community not only rebuilt but is thriving. The experience is an extension of the Homestead History experience, which is an immersive virtual reality look at the history of the City of Homestead that explores the people, places and events that have shaped our community. The new Hurricane Andrew Exhibit will premiere at the event and will be available for viewing at the Cybrarium as part of the permanent collection.

The event is a community effort organized by the City of Homestead in partnership with the Cybrarium, Homestead Town Hall Museum, National Weather Service and Florida International University. For more information, visit: https://www.cityofhomestead.com/571/Hurricane-Andrew-30th-Anniversary-Event