Hurricane Andrew Remembered At Storm Conference
FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami/AP) —If you lived in South Florida during Hurricane Andrew, you'll never forget it and the lessons learned from that catastrophic hurricane are being reexamined by Florida's emergency managers who are preparing for the upcoming tropical storm season.
This August will mark the 20th anniversary of Andrew's catastrophic landfall in South Florida. The Category 5 hurricane remains one of the most expensive natural disasters in the United States.
Former National Hurricane Center Director Max Mayfield will join state and county officials to talk about Andrew's legacy Wednesday in Fort Lauderdale at the annual Governor's Hurricane Conference.
The theme this year is "Twenty Years Since Hurricane Andrew" with an emphasis on what forecasters have learned since then.
Hurricane center forecasters say that since Andrew they've significantly improved their ability to predict a storm's path, giving coastal residents more time to prepare. But forecasters also say they can still be surprised by a storm that rapidly strengthens the way Andrew did.
Gov. Rick Scott speaks at the conference on Wednesday.
The six-month Atlantic hurricane season begins June 1.
The National Hurricane Center will release its prediction for the number of storms this year on May 24.
(TM and © Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
