Lasting Effects of Hurricane Andrew on a Working-Class Community

Abstract

Ten years after Hurricane Andrew, researchers returned to a multiethnic working-class community of homeowners first studied one year after the storm to investigate long-term impact on the community and its residents. Using both qualitative and quantitative data, this case study documents the recovery struggles of modest-income families who had tenuously achieved the American dream of home ownership. While most of the impacted region has recovered, this work highlights deep-seated continuing impacts on many households, as well as changes in the social landscape of the community. In 1992, Hurricane Andrew caused extensive damage to the housing, schools, and community infrastructure of South Miami Heights, Fla., and the first set of interviews (one year after the storm) revealed extensive problems, unrepaired homes, and suffering families. Ten years later a second round of in-depth, face-to-face interviews was completed with 32 of the same households, as well as with 10 key community informants to explore the circumstances and recovery level of homes, households, and the community at large. This case study is one of the few truly long-term examinations of a community after a disaster.