Hurricane Andrew Remembered, 25 Years Later

It has been 25 years since the hurricane of a generation roared across South Florida.

Hurricane Andrew pounded metro Miami as a Category 5 with winds of 165 mph. The United States hasn't seen comparable wind speeds from a hurricane in the quarter-century since.

(MORE: Hurricane Central)

Andrew, known by many Floridians like a celebrity with only one name, changed the building landscape across Florida and much of the American coastline. High rises and houses along the coast are now better prepared for future hurricanes following the destruction of tens of thousands of homes and damage to numerous skyscrapers.

The damage toll was a staggering $26.5 billion, in 1992 U.S. dollars. Andrew was the costliest hurricane to form in the Atlantic until Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana in 2005.

Hurricane Andrew ended up being one of only three Category 5 hurricanes at U.S. landfall, on record.

Even the National Hurricane Center wasn't immune. The radar dome in Miami was knocked from its perch and cars in the parking lot were dropped on other vehicles.

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Andrew set its sights on Louisiana following the sand-blasting of South Florida. While Andrew weakened considerably following its trek through the Everglades, the hurricane restrengthened in the warm Gulf of Mexico before striking Louisiana.

Andrew killed 65 people, mainly in Florida and Louisiana. Most of these deaths were in Miami-Dade County, where another 43 indirect deaths were attributed to the storm.

More deaths were avoided in Louisiana due to Andrew's relatively rural landfall location in the Bayou State – even though it was a major hurricane.

(MORE: The Weather Company Forecasts More Active Hurricane Season Than First Predicted)