Intense hurricanes

Sunday, August 15, 2004

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Fifty-six people died as a result of Hurricane Andrew.
Andrew, Donna - mention those names to any Floridian and they know you're talking about hurricanes.

Now you can add Charley to that list. Few hurricanes in the state's history made the impact of Charley.

Hurricane Andrew demolished parts of Homestead in August of 1992. At the time it hit, Andrew was a category four. But it was re-categorized years later as a category five storm.

Fifty-six people died as a result of Andrew. It tooks years for people to clean up the damage.

Other notable hurricanes include Hurricane Donna, which hit South Florida in September of 1960. The category four hurricane had sustained winds of 135 miles per hour with gusts up to 175 miles per hour.

Like Charley, Donna crossed the state and headed up the eastern seaboard.

There was also the Miami Beach hurricane of 1926. Known as "The

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When the final damage estimates are totalled, Hurricane Charley will rank among Florida's worst.
Hurricane," it contained 140- mile-an-hour winds, making it a category four storm. It hit Miami and Fort Lauderdale in mid-September. Death toll estimates range from just more than 300 to 800 people.

With the death toll at 13 and destruction totals still mounting, Hurricane Charley will certainly go down in history as one of the most devastating storms to hit Florida.