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.
2010 Atlantic hurricane season
Severe impacts from Earl in Antigua and Barbuda amounted to EC $34 million ($12.6 million USD). One person was electrocuted trying to restore power. Wind gusts neared or surpassed hurricane force across Guadeloupe and the French islands, peaking at 105 mph (169 km/h) in Gustavia. Approximately 7,500 residents were left without power across Saint Martin, Saint Barthelemy, and Guadeloupe. Heavy rainfall and strong wind gusts battered Saint Kitts and Nevis, leaving streets flooded and many residences without power. In the British Virgin Islands, wind gusts up to 88 mph (142 km/h) damaged or destroyed dozens of structures, resulting in up to $7 million in damage. Substantial effects were also observed in the U.S. Virgin Islands, where total infrastructure losses were placed at $2.5 million and revenue losses from deterred vacationers reached $10.7 million. Flooding and downed power lines in Puerto Rico left 187,000 residents without power and an additional 60,000 without water access. As Earl paralleled the East Coast of the United States, it produced varying degrees of impact; North Carolina was hardest hit, with over $3.5 million in damage. Three people were killed in rough seas off Florida, one person was killed by rough seas off Maine, and two people were killed by rip currents off New Jersey. Approximately 940,000 people were left without power across Nova Scotia and surrounding areas, where one death occurred.