Even though Andrew was a small tropical cyclone for most of its lifespan, it caused extreme damage, especially in the Bahamas, Florida, and Louisiana. The vast majority of the damage was as a result of extremely high winds, although a few tornadoes spawned by Andrew caused considerable damage in Louisiana. Throughout the areas affected, almost 177,000 people were left homeless. Outside of The Bahamas, Florida, and Louisiana, effects were widespread, although damage was minimal. Overall, $27.3 billion in losses and 65 fatalities were attributed to Andrew, Andrew was, at the time, the costliest hurricane in U.S. history.
Bahamas Hurricane Andrew brought
maximum sustained winds of over to five
districts –
North Eleuthera,
New Providence,
North Andros,
Bimini,
Berry Islands – as well as three
cays. The storm first struck North Eleuthera, The hurricane also produced tropical storm force winds in seven districts, including
Cat Island,
South Abaco,
Central Andros, the northern island chain in
Exuma, and the three districts on
Grand Bahama. At the capital city of
Nassau, sustained winds reached , while gusts up to were reported. A total of 800 houses were destroyed, leaving 1,700 people homeless. Additionally, five schools were destroyed, and overall the storm left severe damage to the sectors of transport, communications, water, sanitation, agriculture, and fishing. and is generally about in width. Prior to its arrival, the hurricane caused the coastline to recede about , which was followed by what was described as a "mighty wall of water", or a storm surge. The Current, a small village in the northwestern portion of the island, recorded a surge of . Towns south of where Andrew moved ashore received fairly minor damage, although the control tower at
Governor's Harbour Airport was destroyed. High surf caused damage to roads and docks along the coast. On
New Providence, the hurricane destroyed one house, The
Lynden Pindling International Airport near Nassau recorded of precipitation during the passage of Andrew. The private island of
Cat Cay in the Bimini Islands was severely impacted by the hurricane, with damage estimated at $100 million (1992 USD). Many wealthy homes and the island's marina received heavy damage, with hundreds of trees downed by the strong winds. Some estimates in Florida put the damage as high as $34 billion (1992
USD, $ USD). Almost all of the damage in Florida was caused by strong winds, rather than
storm surge or flooding that is usually associated with a major hurricane. Of the 44 deaths attributed to the storm, 15 were direct fatalities, while 29 were indirectly caused by the storm. It was later noted that if Andrew had been slightly larger or made landfall a few miles further north, it would have significantly affected
Miami and
Fort Lauderdale, which would have resulted in an even higher damage and death toll. Some officials in Florida considered Andrew the worst storm in the state since the
1935 Labor Day hurricane. But most others, particularly the media and former National Hurricane Center director
Max Mayfield, in retrospect stated that Andrew was hardly "The Big One", though still very devastating. The storm surge from Andrew was very limited in its overall coverage due the compactness of the hurricane, At the height of the storm, more than 1.4 million people lost electricity and another 150,000 were without telephone service. It is estimated that throughout Florida, the storm damaged 101,241 homes and destroyed approximately 63,000 others – the vast majority in Dade County – with about 175,000 people rendered homeless. Smaller tropical cyclones like Andrew or
Charley tend to produce less overall coverages and damage from the storm surge, in contrast to hurricanes such as
Hugo,
Ike,
Ivan, and
Katrina. In addition to homes, the storm damaged or destroyed 82,000 businesses, of farmland, 31 public schools, 59 health facilities/hospitals, 9,500 traffic signals, of power lines, and 3,000 watermains. Tides were generally between above normal in the Biscayne Bay area, though near the
Burger King International Headquarters, tides reached as high as above normal. Storm surge on the west coast was widespread but generally light, with a peak height of in
Everglades City and
Goodland. Strong winds from the storm were confined to a relatively small area, stretching from
Key Largo to the
Miami Beach area. A house near
Perrine initially reported a wind gust of before the structure and instrument were destroyed; this measurement was reduced to , after wind-tunnel testing at the
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University of the same type of anemometer revealed a 16.5% error. Several other anemometers measuring the highest wind speeds on land were destroyed or failed. At the National Hurricane Center building in
Coral Gables, sustained winds of and gusts to were measured before the anemometer failed. The highest sustained wind speed for the storm was , recorded at the
Turkey Point Nuclear Generating Station, before instruments also failed there. In Key Largo, a 13-minute wind speed of was reported. Tropical storm force winds reached as far north as
West Palm Beach. On the west coast of Florida, sustained winds remained just below tropical storm force on
Marco Island, though a wind gust of was reported in Collier County. Rainfall was generally light, possibly as a result of the storm's relatively fast movement. Damage to the base was extensive enough that it was recommended for closure. Nearby, in the small town of
Florida City, over 120 homes were demolished and 700 others were damaged, while a number of other buildings were damaged beyond repair, including City Hall. Further north, damage to poorly constructed homes in communities such as
Country Walk and Saga Bay resembled that of an
F3 tornado. Winds in the area were estimated to have ranged from , slightly below the threshold for an F3 tornado. Four of the five condominiums at Naranja Lakes were destroyed. More than 50 streets were blocked by fallen trees and power lines. Agriculture suffered extensively as well, with an 85% loss to fruit crops such as avocados, limes, and mangoes. Crop damage in Dade County totaled about $509 million. The county suffered the vast majority of the damage from the hurricane, totaling approximately $25 billion. Andrew left at least 40 deaths in the county, 15 direct and 25 indirect. Property damage reached about $100 million and three fatalities were reported in Broward County. In addition to the damage at Everglades National Park, effects in Monroe County were significant, especially in the Upper Florida Keys. Strong winds damaged billboards, awnings, commercial signs, several boats, planes, trees, and 1,500 homes, with 300 of those becoming uninhabitable. Storm surge flooded low-lying areas, particularly in Goodland, Everglades City, and Marco Island. Many boats were damaged or destroyed by the rough seas and strong winds. The storm destroyed 80 mobile homes and severely damaged 400 others. Property damage in the county reached about $30 million. Collectively, 14 tornadoes were reported in the parishes of
Ascension,
Iberville,
Pointe Coupee, and
Avoyelles, as well as in
Baton Rouge. Houses in Berwick, Morgan City, and
Patterson suffered major damage. Throughout the parish, 1,367 dwellings were destroyed, 2,028 were severely damaged, and 4,770 others were impacted to a minor degree. Property damage alone in St. Mary Parish reached approximately $150 million.
Iberia Parish was also among the most severely impacted parishes. Two schools collectively sheltering about 3,600 people in Jeanerette and New Iberia lost their roofs. One death occurred in the parish due to electrocution. A total of 407 residences were demolished, 2,528 others were extensively damaged, and 3,526 others were inflicted with minor damage. Overall, the parish suffered $125 million in property damage, while an additional $200 million in damage was inflicted on sugar crops. A total of 17 deaths occurred in Louisiana, 8 directly and 9 from indirect causes.
Remainder of the United States While Andrew was entering the Gulf of Mexico, oil companies evacuated hundreds of employees from offshore drilling platforms. The storm damaged 241 oil and gas facilities and toppled 33 platforms off the coast of Louisiana, causing significant disruptions in production. Additionally, 83 pipeline segments suffered damage to some degree. The oil industry lost about $12 million per day in the days following Andrew and $4 million daily by three weeks later. Overall, Hurricane Andrew caused about $500 million in damage to oil facilities. along with 26 tornadoes. Structural damage was generally minimal, occurring from the tornadoes and severe thunderstorms. One tornado in
Kemper County destroyed a mobile home, while another twister in
Lauderdale County demolished a mobile home, damaged five other dwellings, and injured four people. Additionally, a possible tornado damaged a home and two trailers in
Lawrence County. with a peak of at
Sumrall. Flooding was mostly limited to the inundation of minor roads and low-lying areas in several counties. Along
Dauphin Island, high tides left severe
beach erosion, with portions of the island losing up to of sand. Three damaging tornadoes occurred in the state. The most damaging tornado was spawned in
Elmore County and moved from an area northeast of
Montgomery to the south of
Wetumpka and briefly lifted during its track. The tornado destroyed 2 homes and damaged 18 homes, 1 mobile home, 2 barns, and 1 vehicle. One person was injured by the twister. Sustained winds in the state were below tropical storm force, though a wind gust of was observed in
Huntsville. Although 48
counties in Alabama reported wind damage, impact across the state was generally minor. Tropical storm force wind gusts and damaging tornadoes extended eastward into Georgia. Several
counties in the northwest and west-central portions of the state reported downed trees and tree limbs and fallen power lines, causing scattered power outages, but structural damage was generally minor. In
Carroll County, several dwellings and barns were damaged, with one mobile home destroyed. At the
Columbus Metropolitan Airport, buildings, billboards, and signs were damaged. Additionally, a tornado in
Floyd County near
Rome snapped and uprooted several trees, damaged several fences and homes, and flipped over a trailer, tossing it on top of four cars. Monetary losses in the state reached about $100,000. In
Tennessee, thunderstorm winds and tornadoes associated with Andrew downed trees and power lines, but caused little overall impact to homes and buildings. Similarly, in
North Carolina, thunderstorm winds toppled trees and power lines at a number of locations in the mountainous areas of the state, especially in
Avery County. Rainfall from Andrew spread across the southeastern United States along the
Appalachian Mountains corridor; totals of over were reported where Georgia and South Carolina meet North Carolina. In
West Virginia, the remnants of Andrew combined with a cold front to produce of rain over portions of the state, causing flooding in areas of
Morgantown with poor drainage. The remnants of Andrew also spawned several tornadoes in
Maryland. A tornado in
Howard County damaged several homes, some extensively. The twister also tossed and wrecked a recreational vehicle and its trailer, downed trees, and flattened cornfields. Precipitation continued along the path of Andrew's remnants through the Mid-Atlantic and Ohio Valley, with precipitation measured as far north as
Upstate New York. ==Aftermath==