Hurricane Andrew
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, with some estimates ranging as high as $34 billion. Andrew was the costliest hurricane in U.S. history at the time, but is now seventh following hurricanes Katrina (2005), Ike (2008), Sandy (2012), Harvey (2017), Irma (2017), and Maria (2017).
Palmetto Bay, Florida
In August 1992, Palmetto Bay and the surrounding South Miami-Dade area were severely damaged by Hurricane Andrew. Many of the homes and businesses in Palmetto Bay were destroyed. In the subsequent years, the area was slowly rebuilt. Unlike the destroyed homes which were made of wood frame construction, the new homes and construction were rebuilt with concrete walls. Although many areas of Miami were heavily affected by Hurricane Andrew, Palmetto Bay was one of the worst affected and remains a reminder of the hurricane's extensive disaster in the city today.