Effects of Hurricane Andrew in Florida
Strong winds from the hurricane significantly affected four counties in the state, which damaged or destroyed over 730,000 houses and buildings, while leaving more than 1 million without power. The storm surge impacted portions of Miami-Dade County, peaking at around 16.9 feet (5.2 m) just north of Homestead near the Burger King International Headquarters; the surge caused significant damage to boats and to the Charles Deering Estate. The nationwide maximum rainfall total from the hurricane was 13.98 inches (355 mm) in the western portion of Miami-Dade County. No major flooding was reported in the state. The hurricane caused about $25.3 billion (1992 USD) in damage and 44 deaths in the state—15 directly from the storm's effects and 29 indirectly related. Many other sources, however, estimated that Andrew caused more than $32 billion in damage in the state. Andrew was, at the time, the costliest hurricane in the history of the United States; it was surpassed in subsequent years by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Hurricane Ike in 2008, Hurricane Sandy in 2012, and hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria in 2017.
Hurricane Arthur
Although Arthur remained offshore, large scale northerly flow from the west side of the cyclone sparked scattered severe thunderstorms across Florida for several days. Effects from these storms were generally minor with damage amounting to only $23,000. On July 3 however, one storm produced straight-line winds estimated at 70–80 mph (110–130 km/h) and caused two barns to collapse near Elkton. Additionally, rip currents affected Atlantic coastal areas of the state. In Daytona Beach, a dozen swimmers had to be rescued by lifeguards due to the strong currents generated by Arthur. Similar effects were felt in coastal Georgia with scattered thunderstorms causing minor damage. Farther north in South Carolina, Arthur produced wind gusts up to along coastal areas, resulting in scattered power outages. Heavy rains also fell in and around Myrtle Beach, with a peak of measured just outside the city; this was the highest total observed in relation to the storm throughout the country.