Hurricane Andrew: A “Boots on the Ground” Story

Strong Homes, Safe Families!

In this episode, host Leslie Chapman Henderson, President and CEO of the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH), and guest John Zarrella, President of JZ Media and former CNN correspondent, revisit their experiences before, during, and after Category Five Hurricane Andrew struck South Florida on August 24, 1992.

Andrew roared ashore after decades of low hurricane activity leaving South Florida residents unprepared and in shock as they coped with the devastating effects. The storm killed and injured many and caused damage to thousands of homes and businesses. Hurricane Andrew revealed weaknesses in critical community functions and inspired modernization of how we prepare for and respond to disasters from nearly all aspects, including communications, emergency management, insurance, telecommunications, utility provision, weather forecasting technology, and more

One of the most significant impacts is how it caused us to rethink how we build our homes in the face of hurricanes. Today, we emphasize better building codes with standards derived from enhanced engineering research. We strive for more consistent code enforcement. These two goals caused the genesis of our organization, Federal Alliance for Safe Homes, Inc. (FLASH), with the mission of strengthening homes and safeguarding families from disasters of all kinds.

Much has changed and improved in the last 30 years, especially technology and tools, but critical work remains. Enjoy this discussion with two veterans of one of the costliest natural disasters in U.S. history and learn how you can join us to ensure we’re ready for the inevitable storms ahead.

Topics

● John’s Background In News And Personal Hurricane Andrew Experience As A Lifelong Resident Of Miami (2:39)

● Leslie’s Role And Hurricane Andrew Experience As Part Of The Insurance Industry Catastrophe Response (6:07)

● Theater Of Operations – Conditions On The Ground (7:23)

● Reporting Challenges: Difficulties Delivering Coverage From The Field (7:47)

● Adjusting Thousands Of Insurance Claims: What’s Different Today? (12:24)

● Lessons Learned: Emergency Management System (25:45)

● Flash Creation: Building Code Advocates (30:06)

● Communication Technology: Then And Now, Barriers And Solutions? (32:43)

● Track Forecasting: The Ability To Know What To Expect (35:24)

● What Is The “unfinished” Business Of The Disaster Safety Movement? (37:25)

● Lessons Learned Post-disaster (38:00)

● Building Codes (38:14)

● Public Acceptance (40:37)

Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH)

Leslie Chapman-Henderson

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Toll-free: (877) 221-SAFE (7233)