Then and Now: Lessons From Andrew

What happened to families in the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew "depends on what the family was like before the storm," said Morrow. "Strong families tend to go through this together and come out stronger at the end. But for families that might be having problems, even within their household or with other relatives, these kinds of things can certainly make it worse. We saw at least an indication that there were more divorces in the year after Andrew than there had been -- the rate had gone up a little. There were certainly reports of more domestic violence."

Silver Linings

On the positive side, said Morrow, Florida building codes were strengthened, and there was evidence after last year's hurricanes that the tougher state codes had worked to help new homes in Florida withstand the storms.

"Also, the school system worked very hard to get the children back in school in a timely way. It was about two weeks after the storm when they got the schools open, which was really a task. But they felt children were safer and better off psychologically to be in an environment that seemed somewhat normal."

Other experts have recommended that children be kept as busy as possible, with chores to do. Memories of the storm can linger indefinitely, as they did with Enid Jones' son.

"After the hurricane, every time he saw that it was going to rain or just hearing the thunder, he was almost devastated," said Jones. "So I would always have to have him in my arms."

Coming Back

Morrow also noted distinct differences in people's ability to recover. "People talk about disasters as though they're equal opportunity events, and they really are not," she said. "Five thousand dollars in damage to someone who has a very modest home means a whole lot more than to someone who has a big home. Those people who are more isolated are going to have the hardest time. The poor always get impacted relatively more than anyone else."