August 24, 1992policy changeemergency managementdisaster relieffederal state coordinationdisaster responsefederal agenciesnatural disaster
Hurricane Andrew exposes FEMA failures and forces reform
Hurricane Andrew slammed into Dade County, Florida on August 24, 1992 with winds up to 165 mph, leaving 200,000 homeless and 1.3 million without electricity. FEMA took four days to deploy teams to the disaster zone. FEMA Director Wallace Stickney had no emergency-management experience and waited for formal state requests before delivering federal aid, prompting Congress to threaten the agency with abolition.