Hurricane Andrew occurred in late August, 1992. At it’s peak, Hurricane Andrew was labeled as a Category 5 hurricane. It killed 65 people and caused $26.5 billion worth of damage. The storm hit the southern tip of Florida, including the Florida Everglades, the Biscayne National Park and the Everglades National Park, destroying a total of 70,000 acres of wetlands in the two parks. A huge amount of damage was taken to the trees in southern Florida and about 25% of the Everglades’ trees were destroyed or damaged due to the storm’s winds. The 170 mph winds really tested the tree’s fitness levels. If their build and roots were thick and strong they could have stayed standing while the wimpy skinny trees had no chance. The destruction of the trees also impacted the animals living there. About 50% of the young squirrels there died, allowing only the fast and healthy squirrels to find reliable shelter.
After crossing the Gulf of Mexico, the hurricane then attacked south and central Louisiana. It’s main target was Atchafalaya River Basin, the United States’ largest swamp. There, the storm took the lives of 182 million fish in the basin and another 9.4 million fish were killed off the coast. The fish’s fitness levels were impacted by Andrew. The ones who were unfit for their rough environment were eliminated while the fish who had a high fitness level learned to adapt to their new conditions.
In both places, Florida and Louisiana, humans were greatly impacted. Most of the destruction of homes were due to poor construction, which would make the people revise their buildings to make their homes more reliable. The storm destroyed $1.04 billion worth of agricultural crops in Florida, forcing us to adapt with a loss that people depended upon for income, jobs, and food.
Satellite pictures and upper-air data indicate that Hurricane Andrew formed from a tropical wave that crossed from the west coast of Africa to the tropical North Atlantic Ocean on 14 August 1992. The wave moved westward at about 20 kt, steered by a swift and deep easterly current on the south side of an area of high pressure.