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.
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.