Homestead Continues to Create Educational Experiences for Families After Hurricane Andrew

In memory of all those affected by Hurricane Andrew, the City of Homestead continues to create new educational experiences for families to never forget what Florida went through, but also to be proud of where Homestead is today.

Patricia Fairclough, Councilwoman of the City of Homestead, says she remembers how hard that day was.

“There was a gentleman that said in his boisterous voice, ‘okay the hurricane is here, it’s time to pray,'” Fairclough said. “So, my mother began to pray and I was just soaking in her prayers. I remember the wind, the rain, the ceiling, they had to put mattresses against the door. It was very traumatic.”

The City of Homestead premiered a new virtual reality experience at their Cybrarium in honor of Hurricane Andrew’s 30th anniversary.

People and their kids can learn about the hurricane through meteorology, how it impacted Homestead and the history of Homestead as a whole.

Before Hurricane Andrew and after is how a lot of Homestead residents describe their life and how the Homestead Cybrarium documents their own history. But even though time has passed, many residents who lived through the natural disaster remember it like it was yesterday.

Larry Roth, Councilman of the City of Homestead, said his childhood home was destroyed by the hurricane.

“I was 28 at the time and I thought I knew everything and never knew mother nature could be that destructive,” Roth said.

Over the past 30 years, Homestead Councilman Roth says Homestead has not wavered in recovering, saying they’ve emerged stronger by building a brand-new city hall, hospital, police department and going from a population of 20 thousand to nearly 80 thousand today.