Imagine a family is sitting at home watching a quiet baseball game, when they suddenly realize that a huge wall of water is approaching the neighborhood. Where did this sudden flood come from, a reader might ask? The wall of water was created by the fierce winds and immense power of Hurricane Andrew. Hurricane Andrew was the second costliest storm in history destroying over 250,000 homes in the states of Florida and Louisiana alone. Hurricane Andrew was not expected to make landfall, so when it did many civilians had no idea the hurricane was coming until it was almost too late. Hurricane Andrew also caused many short- and long-term effects on the ecosystem and local economies. Leading up to this storm, many prominent scientists believed that the hurricane would never make landfall or, if it hit, would not cause any serious damage. Because of this reckless belief of scientists, many civilians did not have time to evacuate their homes and barely managed to escape with their loved ones and whatever small valuables or mementos they could grab. Unfortunately many families had to leave everything they had. Hurricane Andrew also damaged the livelihoods of many small shopkeepers or farms and also caused long-term problems. Due to major flooding and high wind speeds, much of southern Florida was left in ruins, and many years were spent trying to clear the rubble and restore buildings. On top of all this, Hurricane Andrew also destroyed many precious ecosystems. Leading up to the hurricane, many scientists expected the storm to dissipate over the ocean and cause little to no damage (Rappaport). Scientists relied on faulty equipment they claimed that due to low air speed and l...... middle of paper ....... November 21, 2011 "Hurricane Andrew Facts." Tropical climate, tropical climate. August 27, 2010. Web. November 21, 2011Kridler, Chris. "How do hurricanes form?" FEMA, FEMA. January 19, 2007. Web. November 21, 2011 "Hurricane Andrew Facts." WordPress, Wordpress. 14 September 2011. Web. 21 November 2011 “Hurricanes: engines of destruction”. National Geographic, National Geographic. September 15, 1996. Network. November 21, 2011 Pittman, Craig. "The howls of the storm fill the ears of the survivors." St. Petersburg Times, St. Petersburg Times. 18 August 2002. Web. 21 November 2011Rappaport, ed. "Preliminary report". NCEP, NCEP. February 7, 2005. Web. November 21, 2011 Sallenger, Abby. “Impacts of Hurricanes on Coastal Environments.” United States Geological Survey, United States Geological Survey. November 13, 2006. Web. November 21, 2011Williams, Jack. “Andrew is the third strongest hurricane in the United States.” USA Today, USA Today.17 May 2005. Web. 21 November. 2011