From 23 to 26 August 1992, a terrible storm struck America. In just a few hours, Hurricane Andrew devastated areas of the Bahamas, South Florida and Louisiana. The Florida coast was reduced to ruins. Local residents are still afraid that the «monster» is bound to return. How it all began. The hurricane was of African origin. It formed on 13 August and at first caused meteorologists no concern. No one knew that several successive squalls would suddenly transform into a monstrous storm capable of sweeping away everything in its path. Gradually gathering strength, Andrew swept across the Atlantic. The powerful storm wind dragged along low atmospheric pressure and heavy rains. The tropical storm erupted on the morning of 17 August. No one expected the fury of the elements to be so unbridled. Unusual behaviour. A sign in front of a house reads: «We will survive». The hurricane that had cut loose in the ocean fell upon the Bahamas. There it died down a little, and the wind speed was «only» 225 km/h. Andrew behaved very strangely. Over several hours, the «eye of the storm» was observed to vanish and re-form. Then an inner wall of wind formed around it, which was quickly replaced by an outer one. When the hurricane reached land, then, contrary to the forecasts of the weather forecasters, who had expected the elements to gradually calm down, the wind blew with renewed force. Its speed ranged from 233.5 to 320 km/h. The aftermath. Andrew is recognized as one of the most destructive disasters in the entire history of the United States. There were not many human casualties – by official counts, from 26 to 43 people. By unofficial ones, up to 62 people died. The elements inflicted far greater damage on residential structures and infrastructure. The amount of insured losses was estimated at 27 billion dollars. In Dade County the hurricane destroyed up to 80,000 buildings. Thirty-five thousand people were left without a roof over their heads. The main blow of the elements fell on Miami. In just a few days, the bright, cheerful, festive city turned into a dead, black place. Small structures were razed completely, and the famous coconut grove disappeared. For a long time there was utter chaos on the city's roads – there were no traffic lights, and drivers, in order to avoid accidents, had to perform feats of ingenuity. What eyewitnesses say. Florida residents recall with a shudder those few days during which nature unleashed all its fury on the coast. Speaking of the devastating hurricane, 32-year-old Jennifer Glenn cannot hold back her tears: «I will never forget that day. When the wind picks up, my heart simply breaks. I lived on a homestead, and we lost everything. Our house turned into a pile of rubble. Fortunately, at the time we were at the neighbours', and so no one died. For a whole week we received no help from the authorities, and my mother was forced to climb over the wreckage of our house to pull food out of the open refrigerator. The city's water supply was destroyed. I was given one cup of water, and I had to make it last the whole day. For three days we went without food, electricity and air conditioning. Sadly, the tragedy was not shared by all – I personally saw looters carrying away the belongings of people I knew well». Texan Bill James was on holiday in Homestead when the hurricane began: «That night was the biggest nightmare on earth. No one ever thought Andrew could strike such a blow. As long as I live, I will never forget the sound of that wind». Jerry Mason recalls: «I lived in Homestead too, I was eighteen. We did not just lose our house – the whole block was destroyed by the storm wind. People died, pets died too. I will never forget that nightmare». To the credit of the authorities, they did everything to evacuate people in time, and so a great loss of life was avoided. Some ignored the evacuation order and died along with their property. Conclusion. Comparing Andrew with Hurricane Irma, eyewitnesses say the latter was a «joke» by comparison. In their opinion, the fury of this hurricane can be compared only to the might of the attack of the infamous Katrina.