Hurricane Andrew struck South Miami-Dade early on August 24, 1992. It crossed Elliott Key in what is now Biscayne National Park and, about 25 minutes later, made a second landfall just northeast of Homestead. Post-storm analysis by the National Hurricane Center classified it as a Category 5 hurricane at landfall, with maximum sustained winds of about 165 mph. Across Florida roughly 63,000 homes were destroyed and more than 100,000 damaged, most of them in Dade County, and Homestead and the nearby air base took the worst of it. This page explains what happened, how the city rebuilt and what the storm changed for anyone who lives or buys property here today.
The storm in numbers
The figures below come from official post-storm reports and widely cited summaries. Damage totals are in 1992 dollars and vary between sources, so treat them as approximate.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Date of landfall | August 24, 1992, before dawn |
| Intensity at landfall | Category 5, about 165 mph sustained winds |
| Minimum pressure near Homestead | About 922 millibars |
| Deaths in Florida | 44 in total, 15 of them directly caused by the storm |
| Homes destroyed in Florida | About 63,000 |
| Homes damaged in Florida | About 101,000 |
| Damage in Florida | About $25 billion at the time |
| Storm surge on Biscayne Bay | Generally 4 to 6 feet, with a peak near 17 feet farther north along the bay |
The storm was compact. Its most destructive winds covered a relatively narrow band, which is why communities a few miles apart saw very different levels of damage. Homestead, Florida City, Cutler Ridge and the farming areas to the west sat directly in that band.
What happened in Homestead
Within the city, the destruction was nearly total in some neighborhoods. Reports put the loss of mobile homes in Homestead at about 99 percent. Frame houses lost roofs and walls, trees were stripped, power and water were out for weeks and many families had nowhere to live. Downtown landmarks were hit too: the Seminole Theatre was damaged, and the 1917 town hall, restored in the 1980s, needed repairs funded by a state grant approved in 1993.
Homestead Air Force Base, northeast of the city, was evacuated before the storm, but most of its roughly 2,000 buildings were severely damaged or left unusable. The following year the base was placed on a closure list. It was eventually kept as a smaller Air Force Reserve installation, a story told on the page about Homestead Air Reserve Base history.
Damage to farms and historic places
West of the city, the Redland lost groves, nurseries and shade houses. Several historic places disappeared for good, including a popular orchid attraction, the 1906 Redland schoolhouse and the 1913 Redland Community United Methodist Church. Recovery for many growers took years. For the background, see the Redland's farming history.
In Biscayne Bay, the storm destroyed most of the stilt houses of Stiltsville, a cluster of houses built on pilings in the bay since the 1930s. In Florida City, the old railroad depot behind the Florida Pioneer Museum was leveled and later replaced with a replica.
Rebuilding the city
Recovery was slow and uneven. Many residents left South Dade after the storm, and some never returned. Several projects became symbols of the comeback:
- Homestead-Miami Speedway. Ground was broken on August 24, 1993, exactly one year after the storm, and the track opened in November 1995. It was conceived as an economic revival project.
- The air base. Rather than close entirely, it reopened in 1994 as a reserve installation, keeping a military presence and jobs in the area.
- Downtown. The theater, donated to the city in 1993, was eventually restored and reopened in 2015.
- New housing. New neighborhoods filled in around the city, and the population reached 80,737 in the 2020 census.
How Andrew changed building rules
Andrew exposed serious weaknesses in how South Florida homes were designed, built and inspected. Roofs peeled off because sheathing and connections failed; windows and doors broke and let wind pressurize houses from inside. In the years that followed, Florida replaced its patchwork of local codes with a single statewide Florida Building Code, whose first edition took effect in 2002. Miami-Dade and Broward counties fall within the code's High Velocity Hurricane Zone, which carries stricter requirements. Miami-Dade also runs a product approval system: windows, doors, shutters and roofing products used here generally need a county Notice of Acceptance or an equivalent approval showing they passed testing.
For homeowners this matters in practical ways:
- A house built or re-roofed after the code changes is usually better protected than one built before 1992, but the details depend on the work done.
- Insurers often ask for a wind mitigation inspection, which documents roof shape, roof-to-wall connections and opening protection.
- Replacement windows, doors and shutters should carry the right approval, and permits are required.
- Older homes in historic areas may face both preservation review and code requirements; see the historic preservation guide.
Remembering the storm
The town hall museum downtown collects photographs and artifacts from the city's past, and anniversaries bring local retrospectives every August. Researchers can find photographs, government reports and oral histories through public archives; the guide to researching house and family history lists where to look. The National Hurricane Center's archive at nhc.noaa.gov holds the official reports on past hurricanes.
Lessons that still apply
| Lesson from 1992 | What it means now |
|---|---|
| Wind, not only water, destroyed homes | Check roof age, connections and opening protection, not just flood zone |
| Mobile homes were almost all lost | Manufactured housing residents should plan to leave before a major storm |
| Services were out for weeks | Keep water, food, medicine and important documents ready for an extended outage |
| Records were lost | Store copies of deeds, insurance policies and photos off-site or in the cloud |
Follow Miami-Dade County emergency management and National Hurricane Center advisories during hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did Hurricane Andrew hit Homestead?
Andrew made landfall early on August 24, 1992. It crossed Elliott Key first and then came ashore just northeast of Homestead about 25 minutes later.
Was Hurricane Andrew a Category 5?
Yes. It was first rated a Category 4 at landfall, but a later reanalysis by the National Hurricane Center upgraded it to Category 5 with sustained winds of about 165 mph.
How many people died in Hurricane Andrew in Florida?
Official counts list 44 deaths in Florida, 15 of them directly caused by the storm and the rest from indirect causes such as accidents during cleanup.
What happened to Homestead Air Force Base after Andrew?
Most of the base's buildings were severely damaged. It was considered for closure in 1993 and instead reopened in 1994 as an Air Force Reserve installation, later renamed Homestead Air Reserve Base.
Are homes in Homestead built differently since Andrew?
Generally, yes. The statewide Florida Building Code took effect in 2002, and Miami-Dade is part of the High Velocity Hurricane Zone with stricter product approval for windows, doors, shutters and roofing. Older homes vary, so inspections matter.