33 years ago today, I was a 17-year-old kid watching windows “leak” water through solid glass. Trees falling all around our house just missing the windows, hearing wind that sounded like a train that wouldn’t stop. All 6 of us hunkered down in the garage/laundry room, listening to Bryan Norcross, most epic meteorologist ever, and our lifeline. That was when Hurricane Andrew, Category 5, slammed into our quiet little neighborhood, in Kendall.
Three weeks without power. In August! Two weeks without water. And then, no access to clean water. The nearest access to ice, or gas was in Coral Springs – 60 minutes away. And everyone was price gouging. $20 for a 99-cent bag of ice. $20 for a sterno. And this is 1992 money, mind you.
No cell phones, no way of communicating with loved ones. Every type of pole was down, power, telephone, gas, trees, antennas. Everything on the ground, through buildings and homes, or just flown away.
I wrote an article about this experience and did a deep dive into how Hurricane Andrew changed everything we know about construction and building codes. Keep reading below to get a sneak peak, or click here to read the full version on my LinkedIn.
Table of Contents
Florida’s Revolution
Hurricane Andrew exposed a shocking truth: over 400 different building codes existed across Florida in 1992. This patchwork of inadequate standards contributed directly to the disaster’s severity. The response was swift and comprehensive. The South Florida Building Code became the first post-Andrew standard in 1994, introducing mandatory impact-resistant glazing and enhanced wind load provisions. By 2002, Florida had superseded all 400+ local codes with unified statewide standards.
Miami-Dade County developed the Notice of Acceptance process, requiring rigorous testing including firing 9-pound pieces of 2×4 lumber at 34 mph into building materials. This certification became the national gold standard, with products seeking approval from as far as New York and Guam.
National Impact
Within a few years of Andrew, all Gulf States and Atlantic Coast states had adopted hurricane windload codes. The formation of the International Code Council in 1994 happened directly because Andrew demonstrated the need for unified national standards. Buildings adopting these new standards showed reduced damage worth $1.6 billion annually nationwide.
When other disasters struck, states turned to Florida’s playbook. After Hurricane Sandy, the Northeast began adopting Florida Building Code statutes. Louisiana did the same after Katrina. Now even parts of Texas and the Gulf Coast require Florida Building Code approval.
$132 Billion
The numbers prove the transformation worked. Studies of the 2004-2005 hurricane seasons showed homes built under post-1994 codes sustained significantly less damage than pre-Andrew construction. Nearly 30% of homes built under new codes facing 150 mph winds experienced no shingle damage, while every pre-Andrew home experienced shingle loss.
MIT research demonstrates that hurricane-resistant construction provides $8.1 billion in annual benefits nationally. Academic analysis projects $132 billion in total avoided losses from 2000-2040 due to buildings constructed to higher code standards.
Conclusion
Andrew changed not only those of us who lived through it, but I believe it made Miami what it is now. There was work for years afterward, in rebuilding. Even my mom started a roofing company. Lots of people moved away, especially those who lost it all. And lots of people came and stayed. Miami was never the same. It went from a sleepy town to the trendy metropolis you know today.
But what most people may not know about Hurricane Andrew is that it didn’t just destroy buildings and lives, it built an entirely new way of thinking about construction. And led the way to the building codes we have today. And these changes and implementations have saved an estimated $132 billion and God only knows how many lives in the 33 years since.
Read the complete deep dive analysis on my LinkedIn to discover the technical details, testing standards, and comprehensive research behind how one storm transformed American construction forever.
