Hurricane Irma likely to be far worse than monster Andrew


              FILE- This Aug. 24, 1992 file image provided by NOAA shows a NOAA GOES-7 thermal infrared geostationary satellite image of Hurricane Andrew approaching landfall south of Miami. For an entire generation in South Florida, Hurricane Andrew was the monster storm that reshaped a region. Irma is likely to blow that out of the water. Bigger and with a 90-degree different path of potential destruction, Irma is forecast to hit lots more people and buildings than 1992’s Andrew, said experts, including veterans of Andrew. (NOAA via AP, File)
FILE- This Aug. 24, 1992 file image provided by NOAA shows a NOAA GOES-7 thermal infrared geostationary satellite image of Hurricane Andrew approaching landfall south of Miami. For an entire generation in South Florida, Hurricane Andrew was the monster storm that reshaped a region. Irma is likely to blow that out of the water. Bigger and with a 90-degree different path of potential destruction, Irma is forecast to hit lots more people and buildings than 1992’s Andrew, said experts, including veterans of Andrew. (NOAA via AP, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) - For an entire generation in South Florida, Hurricane Andrew was the monster storm that reshaped a region. Irma is likely to blow that out of the water.

Bigger and with a much different path of potential destruction, Irma is forecast to hit lots more people and buildings than 1992's Andrew, said experts, including veterans of Andrew. At the time, the National Weather Service says, Andrew was the costliest hurricane in U.S. history with damages of $26.5 billion in 1992 dollars - or about $50 billion in current dollars.

Kate Hale, Miami-Dade's emergency management chief says by nearly every measure Irma looks far worse. She told The Associated Press on Thursday: "Nobody can make this up. This storm. This track at this point."

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Follow Seth Borenstein on Twitter at @borenbears . His work can be found here .

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