Hurricane Andrew

The North Atlantic in 1992 seemed a little different, and two months into the wind season was still calm and there was no sign of a hurricane. However, just when people's nerves were somewhat relaxed, a demon had already opened its blood basin mouth...

On August 14, meteorologists spotted the first tropical storm of 1992. On August 17, the tropical storm surge formed off the west coast of Africa, and then the storm surge slowly moved to the heart of the Atlantic Ocean, hitting the Bahamas. The U.S. Weather Service officially named it "Andrew" and numbered Tropical Storm 9201.

On August 21, "Andrew," guided by atmospheric circulation, began to strengthen rapidly and headed straight for Florida. The next day it intensified into a Category 1 hurricane, which began a major eruption and quickly intensified into a Category 3 hurricane. According to the National Weather ForecastIng Service, it is likely to continue to strengthen to its 27-year highest. The situation was critical, and in the afternoon, residents in Florida, the Bahamas and other places began to evacuate.

On the afternoon of August 23, "Andrew" attacked the Bahamas at a speed of 190 kilometers per hour, causing huge damage, four of them dead and thousands of houses destroyed. Then, at 5 o'clock on August 24, Andrew landed in the city of Hemstadt at a wind speed of 240 kilometers per hour and began a frenzied sweep.

Hurricane Andrew, about 200 kilometers in diameter, carried a downpour of rain from the sky. Wherever the hurricane went, the wind roared, the rain was sharp, the powerful force of the hurricane made the sea form a few meters high waves, the huge waves rushed into the streets, and in an instant the wind blew away the houses and fields, and within an hour, the tops of countless houses were blown away, and some buildings collapsed. All the household appliances, furniture, all kinds of daily necessities and other miscellaneous items in the house are floating in the water, the trees are uprooted, and everywhere is a desolate scene. Fortunately, the U.S. news media had a lot of uninterrupted coverage of the hurricane beforehand, so most of the residents had evacuated their homes before the storm struck, so only a dozen people were killed and 350 injured in Florida. But the devastating hurricane left 55,000 people homeless and 400,000 homes without electricity and water. The affected area is in the southern United States, and it is summer, the weather is hot, the toilet cannot be pumped, the refrigerator cannot be started, the food cannot be refrigerated, the health situation is deteriorating, and the epidemic may occur at any time.

Florida City and Hermstead were the hardest hit by the hurricane, with buildings in the city being wiped out, and the entire city almost disappearing in high winds, destroying Homestead Air Force Base and Everglades National Park, and losing the value of reconstruction, which can be imagined to be so bad.

On the morning of the 25th, "Andrew" still did not want to stop, it crossed the Gulf of Mexico to the west, toward Louisiana. That night, the storm hit the state's coastal cities and towns at a speed of 225 kilometers per hour, and everywhere they went, there was a desolate scene everywhere, and people wept bitterly and were dazed in the face of the tragic situation.

According to statistics, in the place where Hurricane Andrew swept through, more than 20 people were killed, more than 1,500 injured, the number of homeless people reached more than 100,000 people, and the economic losses reached more than 20 billion US dollars, which is one of the largest natural disasters in the history of the United States.

◆ Knowledge expansion

Immediately after "Andrew" left Florida, the government declared a state of emergency and appealed for food and medical assistance. The hurricane disaster caused great concern among the American public. Former President Bush immediately interrupted his presidential campaign and rushed to the disaster area to comfort the victims of the disaster. At the same time, the Red Cross and the US governments at all levels have also organized disaster relief teams to rush to the disaster site for rescue.

★ Knowledge Links ★

When you receive a hurricane alarm, you should immediately leave the seashore, the riverbank, and hide in a strong shelter. The seashore and the riverbank are extremely dangerous places, and hurricanes will set off huge waves and floods to hit these places, causing them to be severely damaged, and staying in these places will be life-threatening. If you are traveling at sea, lower the sails, seal the cabin, store all the tools, and leave the area through which the hurricane passes as soon as possible if possible.