Preliminary report: medical examiner reports of deaths associated with Hurricane Andrew--Florida, August 1992.

On August 24, 1992, at 1:40 a.m. eastern daylight time (EDT), rain bands associated with Hurricane Andrew reached the eastern coast of Florida. At 4:45 a.m. EDT, Hurricane Andrew made landfall 35 miles southeast of Miami at Homestead, with sustained winds of 145 miles per hour (mph) and gusts of 164 mph. These winds extended 45 miles outward of the storm center. The storm moved across the state at 18 mph toward the Gulf of Mexico (Figure 1). The tidal surge on the eastern coast was estimated at 7-19 feet. During the storm, approximately 2.5 million Florida residents were left without electrical power, and approximately 56,000 family dwelling units were destroyed or severely damaged. This report presents preliminary data from Florida medical examiner (ME) offices about deaths attributed to Hurricane Andrew.