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The devastating hurricanes of 1926 and 1992 brought out the worst – and the best – in South Florida, as citizens struggled to rebuild in the aftermath of two of the worst natural disasters ever to hit the United States.
Over the last 75 years, Florida has been crisscrossed by major storms.
Andrew
"Until Andrew blew into Greater Miami, the 1926 hurricane was the Big One. In a matter of hours, Andrew changed everything. Our generation will learn from this tragedy just as the people did in 1926. Building codes will be strengthened, shutters will be purchased and home buyers will be more cautious ...
"But in the years to come, we hope that those who follow will not let down their guard as we did. We know only too well that a building may look well built, but unattached tiles, unprotected and unshuttered glass windows and doors, as well as pasteboard walls and roofs cannot fool Mother Nature."
— Arva Moore Parks, The Florida Hurricane & Disaster 1992
Through the years … a toll in lives and other losses
Tragically, Florida’s 1926 hurricane left more than 240 people dead. Some 55,000 customers were left in the dark and damage reached $115 million.
"Six days ago this city was one of the most beautiful in this country. Today, as a result of a disastrous tropical hurricane, we have hundreds dead ... more than 5,000 homes have been destroyed ... 25,000 people are homeless, being cared for in thousands of instances by neighbors who are also suffering," said the Citizens' Executive Committee of Miami in an appeal for help.
In 1992, Hurricane Andrew knocked out power to 1.4 million customers, causing $20 billion in destruction and more than 20 deaths.
"My heart goes out to the people of Florida," said President George H.W. Bush. "Where the storm was strongest, up to a quarter million people have lost their homes."
Remarkably, FPL employees, with assistance from other utilities, returned service to all customers capable of receiving it in just over a month.
Though several storms struck FPL's service territory between 1992 and 2003, nobody could have predicted what was to come in 2004, when three devastating hurricanes plowed through FPL's service territory in less than two months, wreaking havoc on entire communities and causing more than 5.4 million power outages.
Once again, employees rose to the occasion, often putting aside damage to their own homes and property in order to get our customers back in service. Though it took 13 days for the very last restorations to be completed after Charley, 12 days after Frances and eight days after Jeanne, fully 75 percent of customers were restored by 72 hours after all three storms, and upwards of 90 percent within five days.
As well, 2005 turned out to be a year nobody would soon forget. Hurricanes Dennis, Katrina and Rita all impacted Floridians as well as FPL’s electric infrastructure before Hurricane Wilma barreled through, causing more power outages by a large margin than any other storm in company history and more damage to our system than any storm since Andrew.
While today's work methods and storm restoration plans have changed dramatically since 1926 – and will continue to evolve in the future – FPL employees' unwavering commitment to restoring electric light and power to affected areas with utmost speed will never falter.
Major storm timeline
2005 – At dawn on October 24, Hurricane Wilma made landfall in southwest Florida as a Category 3 storm and pushed rapidly and with a wider-than-expected swath of hurricane force winds through the heart of FPL’s heavily populated west coast and South Florida regions. A record 3.2 million FPL customers – about 75 percent – were left without electric service as transmission lines and substations were especially hard hit.
Chronology
Photos and videos
2005 – Less than a month after Hurricane Katrina passed through South Florida, Hurricane Rita passed through South Florida as a Category 1 storm affecting 126,000 customers in six counties before growing to Category 5 in the Gulf and slamming into the Texas-Louisiana coast.
Chronology
2005 – Less than two months after dealing with a half-million scattered power outages as the result of a close brush with Category 4 Hurricane Dennis, Southeast Florida is struck by Category 1 Hurricane Katrina. The 11th storm of an unusually active season swept through heavily-populated Broward and Miami-Dade counties on Aug. 25, affecting approximately 1.45 million customers. Chronology
2004 – Just three weeks after Hurricane Frances, Florida ’s east coast is hit again by Hurricane Jeanne, a strong Category 3 storm with 120 mile-per-hour winds. Not since 1886 and Texas has a state experienced four hurricanes in a single season; Jeanne is the fourth hurricane to punish Florida in six weeks. FPL reports more than 1.7 million of its customers lost power as a result of Jeanne. Chronology
Three Storms, One Incredible Team: Responding to Statewide Disasters (Windows Media Video)
2004 – Hurricane Ivan hit Alabama September 16, with destructive winds of up to 130 mph that knocked down power lines and trees and flooded streets. At least 12 people were killed, mostly by hurricane-spawned tornadoes in Florida. Much of Ivan’s heaviest damage hit the Florida panhandle region. Near Pensacola, a quarter mile section of the Highway I-10 bridge was washed away by storm surge.
2004 – Hurricane Frances follows closely on the heels of Charley and leaves 2.8 million FPL customers without power. With sustained winds of about 105 miles per hour, Frances was much larger than Charley with hurricane-force winds extending over much of Florida for the better part of three days.
Chronology.
2004 – Hurricane Charley slams into Southwest Florida with sustained winds of 145 mph, carving a destructive path across the state before exiting at Daytona Beach. More than 25 lost their lives and 874,000 homes and businesses were without power.
Chronology.
1999 – Hurricane Irene lashes Florida’s eastern seaboard from Miami-Dade to St. Johns County, putting 1.7 million FPL customers in the dark – the most outages of any storm ever faced by the company.
1992 – Packing winds of more than 160 mph, Hurricane Andrew slams into South Florida causing 29 deaths and property damage exceeding $25 billion. 1.4 million (45 percent) of our customers are without power.
1965 – Hurricane Betsy hits the upper Keys with 140 mph winds, leaving 13 dead and 49 percent of FPL’s customers without electricity.
1964 – Hurricane Cleo passes over Miami and Fort Lauderdale. 110 mph winds cause $125 million in damage and put 68 percent of our customers in the dark.
1960 – Hurricane Donna roars across South Florida with an 11-foot storm surge, 150 mph winds and more than $300 million in damage. 13 people are dead and 51 percent of FPL’s customers are without electric service.
1949 – Major hurricane passes from Palm Beach to Lake Okeechobee with gusts exceeding 150 mph.
1928 – Another powerful hurricane comes ashore near Palm Beach and destroys dikes on Lake Okeechobee. Nearly 2,000 people die as a result of massive flooding.
1926 – With estimated gusts up to 150 mph, a hurricane damages or destroys most buildings in Dade and Broward counties. 243 people are dead. |
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