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).
Effects of Hurricane Irma in Florida
In Volusia County, sustained wind speeds at the Daytona Beach International Airport reached , and wind gusts peaked at . Of the county's 286,545 electrical customers, 210,271 were left without power. Precipitation peaked at at a CoCoRaHS station in extreme southern Volusia County. Numerous roads flooded and many retention ponds were filled to capacity or overflowed. One tornado was reported in Ormond Beach after a waterspout moved onshore. The tornado downed some trees and damaged the roofs of several buildings and homes, some extensively. In Daytona Beach, winds caused significant damage to a hotel. A waterslide was destroyed at Daytona Lagoon. Several businesses were flooded along Beach Street after the Halifax River overflowed its banks. A majority of the damage in South Daytona was caused by storm surge entering apartment complexes and homes along the Halifax River. Damage in the city reached about $14.4 million. More than 1,000 homes in Port Orange sustained some degree of damage. In Ponce Inlet, winds caused roof damage to a club house, deroofed a condominium, and severely damaged some businesses. Throughout the county, a total of 1,003 dwellings received minor impact, 329 received major damage, and 21 homes were destroyed in Volusia County. Damage in the county totaled $332 million. There was one death in the county, which was caused by carbon monoxide poisoning from a generator.