A Look Back at Storm 30 Years Later

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NASSAU, BAHAMAS – Thirty years ago, Hurricane Andrew changed the meaning of hurricane preparedness for a generation of Bahamians. We speak with forecaster Wayne Neely, who was working at the Met Office at the time of the historic hurricane to talk about Andrew’s lasting impact.

Hurricane Andrew is a name remembered by many, for its initial weakness and dramatic rapid intensification, the likes of which wouldn’t be seen again until hurricane Dorian almost 30 years later.

Neely says the storm was his first experience working with a hurricane in The Bahamas as a meteorological officer, and he tells us what it was like when they realized the storm would be much more powerful than previously expected.

Neely praises Basil Dean’s handling at the time, saying he stayed back for hours handling the influx of panicked calls.

Neely also pointing out that while Andrew was approaching, many Bahamians were distracted by a different historic event happening at home.

As for Hurricane Andrew’s legacy, Neely points to a strengthening of building codes both here and in the United States, but most importantly, the development of technology.

When describing the forecasting methods at the time of Hurricane Andrew, he says the total process could take up to five hours to complete.

The storm claimed 65 lives, three of which were directly caused by its impact in The Bahamas.