
Almost 25 years have passed since a Category 5 hurricane struck south of Miami, and the citys vulnerability to catastrophic storm damage has grown exponentially, according to a new insurance underwriters analysis. At the time, Hurricane Andrew was the most expensive natural disaster in U.S. history, causing more than $26 billion of damage in Floridas most populous areas, including $15.5 billion in insurance payouts. Stringent building code enforcement followed in Miami, but so did population growth, coastal development and climate change.