Andrew vs. Katrina

[logybogy]

Obviously, the death toll in Katrina was worse and if that's all you base hurricanes on then Katrina wins hands down.

But it seems to me that Katrina was mainly a storm surge storm which was made worse by geographical flukes. A city under sea level. Gulf Coast topography that had shallow waters and allowed a massive 30foot storm surge that wouldn't have been possible on the Atlantic Coast. If you look at simply wind damage, most Katrina wind damage inland was mostly Cat 1/2 damage with some sporadic Cat 3 damage.

Andrew, on the other hand, was like a small F3 tornado. It completely leveled Homestead Florida for miles and Homestead is well inland. The wind damage I've seen from Katrina doesn't approach Andrew at all. And storm surge with Andrew was a relative non-issue aside from very small sections near the old Burger King Building.

[HollynLA]

Don't start. Now is not the time.

[Derek Ortt]

most of Katrinas damage inland, was of cat 1/2, because it was a cat 1/2 inland

[PTPatrick]

I dont understand the need to have pissing contests between hurricanes. they are all so different, with such similar results...death and broke lives. Look man, yes Andrew had higher winds in its eyewall...but it was small storm. Most folks I know in northen Miami and Ft. Lauderdale had cat 1 damage. His legacy is that of leveling a city called Homestead with very strong winds. And the horrible aftermath that ensued with an unprepared Red Cross and insurance industry.

Katrina was a huge storm with cat 4 winds in a very small area around the eye wall, that had cat 1 and 2 winds up to 105 miles east of the center. It carried a cat 5 storm surge that leveled not just a town, but the entire coast of Mississippi and much of southeastern LA.

My point...the storms were both horrible in their own individual ways. Ultimately, the pissing contest will likely be won by Katrina if you look strictly at dollars, but what does that matter. There is no need for who was worst contest...it is comparing apples and oranges. There are no similarities, except in the final result...lots of death and destruction.

[CajunMama]

Both storms had catastrophic damage unlike we have never seen before. No need to start something here...i'm locking this thread before a shouting match is started.