MIAMI -- On Aug. 24, 1992, a small, powerful hurricane named Andrew swept across the Bahamas and slammed into Florida changing the lives of thousands of people and the face of South Florida forever.

Less than 12 hours after making landfall, Andrew was no more than a tropical storm. But in its wake, Hurricane Andrew left behind more than $25 billion worth of destruction. More than 126,000 homes in South Florida were destroyed or damaged. In Dade County alone up to a quarter of a million people were left homeless.

The heaviest damage in South Florida was concentrated in a 30-mile-wide swath south of metro Miami in the area around Cutler Ridge, Homestead and Florida City.

Most of the worst destruction was south of Kendall Drive. The agricultural community of Homestead with a population of 26,000 was virtually leveled and Homestead Air Force Base was destroyed.

Considering the fury of the storm, one of the most remarkable statistics was how few people died in Andrew. According to official numbers, 26 people were killed during the storm, and an additional 39 people died as a result of indirect causes related to Andrew.

The Path Of Destruction

Between August 17 and 20, 1992, a tropical wave crossed from the west coast of Africa into the North Atlantic, becoming Tropical Storm Andrew.

Andrew reached hurricane strength on the morning of Aug. 22, making it the first Atlantic hurricane to form from a tropical wave in nearly two years. Just 36 hours later, Andrew had nearly reached Category 5 strength.

The storm continued west, losing some strength, and passed over northern Eleuthera Island in the Bahamas late Aug. 23.

As meteorologists began warning residents that Andrew was on the way, South Florida highways jammed with cars filled with people, pets, and possessions, hoping to avoid the fury of the storm. The Miami Herald ran their prophetic headline describing Andrew: "Bigger, Stronger, Closer."

About 55,000 people left the Florida Keys. It's estimated that 700,000 evacuated parts of South Florida. Unfortunately, many of them moved to areas that ended up being hit by the storm.

Andrew left the Bahamas, and as soon as the storm entered the Straits of Florida, the hurricane reintensified and the eye of the storm grew larger and stronger.

In the hours just after midnight on Aug. 24, Andrew barreled into South Florida with sustained land-level winds of at least 125 mph, and wind gusts of at least 175 mph. Unofficial figures indicated winds that were much higher. Andrew hit South Florida as a Category 4 storm with a central pressure of 922 mb - the third lowest this century for a hurricane at landfall in the United States.

Much of the data that might have given a profile of Andrew's strength was lost because the storm destroyed the equipment designed to measure wind strength and speed.

As the morning came on Aug. 24, it also brought along Andrew's storm tide. On the southeast Florida coast, the peak storm surge arrived near the time of high tide. The combination caused tides ranging from 4 to 6 ft in northern Biscayne Bay to16.9 ft at the Burger King International Headquarters, located on the shoreline in the center of the bay. The seven inches of rain that fell along with the storm tide flooded areas already devastated by the powerful winds.

Andrew stirred the Atlantic into a powerful force. The hurricane even ripped up the artificial reef system off the coast. In one case, a 215-foot, 350-ton barge with 1,000 tons of concrete loaded onto its deck, sat on the ocean floor in water 68 feet deep. As it slammed ashore in South Florida, Andrew moved the barge more than 700 feet to the west, and tore several large sections of steel plate from the barge's side.

Emergency management experts say that the high survival rate of people who lived through Andrew is due to hurricane preparedness and the willingness of South Floridians to evacuate.

Of the people who died as a result of Andrew, more than half died during the recovery phase following the storm.

All who lived through Andrew had their lives profoundly touched. It is a marker-point in the history of South Florida. Everyone who lives here knows that for South Florida life will always be measured in one way: life before Andrew, and life after.

This special "Decade After Disaster" section is dedicated to those who lived through the storm, helped others survive the devastation, and those who had the courage to rebuild South Florida.

Report Based On Information From Reports By WPLG, NWS, NOAA, National Hurricane Center, FEMA

Share Your Memories Of Andrew

We would like to share your experiences, your remembrances, the images that you have from Aug. 24, 1992.

If you have pictures from during and after the storm, or pictures from then and now, email them to us at news@click10.com. If your pictures are chosen to be posted on Click10.com will have a byline on the site that will be become a permanent addition to our hurricane section, and we'll mail you a limited edition Click10.com baseball cap.

If you have a video clip less than two minutes long that you can send to us, we will select some of the best to post on Click10.com. Some of these clips may also be shown on Channel 10 news. We will send you a cap and give you credit for the video that will also become a permanent part of our hurricane section.

You can also add your thoughts and remembrances to our online discussion board.

Email your images and essays to news@click10.com.

Send your video clips (on VHS tape) to:

Click10.com
3900 Biscayne Blvd.
Miami, FL 33141

Be sure to watch Channel 10's special week-long event: "A Decade After Disaster" beginning Aug. 19 through Aug. 24.

Remember, preparedness made all the difference during Andrew. To find out more about how to be sure your family and home can be kept safe during a storm, and all the local hurricane information you need, visit Click10.com's special Hurricane Section.