History of Florida
Hurricane Andrew in August 1992 struck Homestead, just south of Miami, as a Category 5 hurricane, leaving forty people dead, 100,000 homes damaged or destroyed, more than a million people left without electricity, and damages of $20–30 billion. Much of South Florida's sensitive vegetation was severely damaged. The region had not seen a storm of such power in decades. Besides heavy property damage, the hurricane nearly destroyed the region's insurance industry.
1980 Atlantic hurricane season
Although 500 houses were either damaged or destroyed on Barbados, losses totaled to only $1.5 million (1980 USD). Having passed only south of St. Lucia, Allen produced sustained winds as high as on the island. The storm caused 27 fatalities and $88 million (1980 USD) in damage on that island. In addition, one death was reported in Guadeloupe. High winds and flooding in Haiti left 836,200 people homeless. In addition, 220 deaths were reported and damage exceeded $400 million (1980 USD). To the east in Dominican Republic, effects were less severe, though seven deaths were reported and damage was estimated at $47 million (1980 USD). On the island of Cuba, three fatalities occurred and losses were unknown. In northeastern Mexico, heavy rainfall occurred, though damage was minimal and no fatalities were reported. Damage was most significant in the United States, especially in the state of Texas. In Corpus Christi, gravel blew off the roofs, which broke windows throughout the city. Several tornadoes were spawned in Texas, one of which caused $100 million (1980 USD) in damage in Austin. Rainfall in the state of Texas exceeded in some locations. 24 fatalities occurred in the United States – seven in Texas and seventeen in Louisiana – most resulting from the crash of a helicopter evacuating workers from an offshore platform. Damage in United States totaled to $860 million (1980 USD). Overall, Hurricane Allen caused $1.57 billion (1980 USD) in losses and caused 290 deaths.