BY KENNY MALONE
Richard McCormick holding up an image of the wreckage Andrew left behind. (Photo by Luc Cohen)
Under the Sun tells the stories of South Florida, and there’s no bigger South Florida story in recent history than Hurricane Andrew. Around 5:05 a.m. on August 24th, 1992, Andrew made landfall near the Homestead Air Force Base, and changed lives everywhere.
WLRN-Miami Herald News Reporter, Kenny Malone, spoke to a retired Army Colonel and semi-retired veterinarian, Richard McCormick, about his experience when the Category 5 winds arrived and it was raining cats and dogs.
Richard keeps a copy of this post-Andrew picture in his office.
McCormick was 62 years old when Andrew hit. It had taken him 18 years to build a strong clientele at his veterinary clinic in Cutler Ridge. He had a thriving business and a love for his work, but after Andrew hit his business all but washed away.
Award for Hurricane Andrew Relief Effort
There is a silver lining to this story. After the Hurricane, McCormick got a phone call from head of the American Animal Hospital Association, to coordinate post-Andrew animal rescue shelters. McCormick says its the dream job he didn’t know to dream of.
He’s 82 years old and he still sees animals a few times a month.
If you have a Hurricane Andrew story you want to share, contact us here, through the Public Insight Network.
