A day like no other, Aug. 24, 1992, was the day Hurricane Andrew wreaked havoc on southern Florida, leaving entire trailer parks flattened and rows of concrete power poles toppled. Tens of thousands of people were left homeless as the storm, known as the Big One, ripped through the area before moving west toward the Gulf and Louisiana. </br></br>A sailboat sits on a sidewalk at Dinner Key in Miami after it was washed ashore by Hurricane Andrew.

Homes were destroyed to piles of rubble following Hurricane Andrew in Florida on Aug. 24, 1992.

A small store was destroyed in the wake of Hurricane Andrew.</br></br>Hurricane Andrew killed 15 people and caused $30 billion in damage in Florida.

A resident in Homestead, Fla., asks for help for the entire block, Aug. 26, 1992, after the area was ravaged by Hurricane Andrew earlier in the week. The sign on the roof reads "Help please! The block needs water, canned food, ice, gas, building supplies." Homestead was one of the hardest-hit areas in the wake of the storm.

Several days after it almost dissipated, Andrew rapidly strengthened and was a Category 4 storm at landfall in Homestead, Fla. In many places the storm dumped 10 inches of rain, and it spawned at least 14 tornadoes. </br></br>Remnants of a trailer park after Hurricane Andrew hit.

Hurricane Andrew left one trailer home in ruins but surrounding homes untouched in Jeanerette, La. </br></br>When Hurricane Andrew thundered into St. Mary Parish, La., winds exceeded 100 mph.

A truck makes its way through high waters as Kevin Diamond, left, and Neal Roberts wade through some of the flooding caused by Hurricane Andrew in Franklin, La., Aug. 26, 1992. </br></br>When it was all over, two people in Louisiana were killed in tornadoes, and the state suffered $1 billion in damage.

Hurricane Andrew damaged homes in Jeanerette, La. </br></br>The National Hurricane Center measured a peak gust of 164 mph. Andrew continued into the Gulf of Mexico before reaching the central Louisiana coast as a Category 3 hurricane.

A doctor helps Penelope Dixie, center, who started to go into labor prematurely, to a waiting U.S. Army helicopter as her fiance, William Jones, tries to comfort her, Aug. 29, 1992.

Jesus Cruz, 7, sleeps on a cot at a Red Cross shelter in Homestead, Fla., Aug. 29, 1992. His family members had saved money for years to buy a home in nearby Florida City only three months earlier, and they lost everything they had when Hurricane Andrew devastated the area.

Orlando Somante, center, sits with his sons Orlando, left, and Jonathan, right, amid the rubble of their home in Cutler Ridge, with signs that warn, "Looters will be shot" and "Danger, crazy Cuban inside," Aug. 27, 1992. Their home was one of many in southern Dade County that was hit by Hurricane Andrew.

Emergency supplies are taken off a military helicopter at the Campbell Middle School in Homestead, Fla., Aug. 29, 1992, for distribution to victims of Hurricane Andrew. More than 250,000 people were left homeless by the storm.

Construction of a tent city begins, Aug. 31, 1992, in Homestead, Fla. as U.S. Marine Cpl. Richard Bodnar, left, and Cpl. Steve Kniffen of the 8th Engineers Support Battalion drive tent stakes into the ground. The tent cities will house many of those left homeless by Hurricane Andrew in southern Florida's hardest hit areas.

President George Bush, Barbara Bush, and Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney visit with Marines taking part in the disaster relief efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew in Homestead, Fla., Sept. 1, 1992.

Democratic presidential candidate Bill Clinton visits with people standing in line for relief supplies at Richmond Heights Middle School in southern Dade County, Fla., Sept. 4, 1992. </br></br>Hurricane Andrew was blamed for 23 deaths in the U.S. and three deaths in the Bahamas and caused an estimated $26.5 billion in damage in the United States.

Soldiers of the 82nd Airborne Division stand in prayer at a service held in Homestead, Fla., Sept. 5, 1992. </br></br>The service was given by Billy Graham and Jesse Jackson for the victims and aid workers in the area.

Volunteers hand out food to victims of Hurricane Andrew in Homestead, Fla., Nov. 24, 1992. Charities donated 900 take-home Thanksgiving meals to area residents who had signed up to receive the dinners.