'20-mile wide tornado': Bryan Norcross recalls Hurricane Andrew's devastation 30 years later
Norcross provided 23 hours of continuous storm coverage when Hurricane Andrew made landfall in Florida
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fox Weather hurricane specialist Bryan Norcross spent 23 continuous hours covering the devastation in South Florida 30 years ago when Hurricane Andrew decimated communities. On "Fox & Friends" Wednesday, he recalled the storm's wrath as a "20-mile wide tornado."
Norcross previewed his upcoming documentary, "The Wrath of Hurricane Andrew: Tragedy and Triumph" set to air on Fox Weather Wednesday, and provided an inside look at his experience covering the storm.
"You go up in a helicopter and you look out, it was destruction as far as you could see in every direction," Norcross told host Steve Doocy.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Hurricane Andrew made landfall in Florida as a Category 5 storm on Aug. 24, 1992. (National Weather Service)
Norcross provided storm coverage for South Florida residents for 23 hours in 1992 because no other station could get a signal.
"We had done a lot of work to prepare the television station, not just to stay on the air, but also to be connected to a radio station," he said.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Norcross said it was his own idea to put in a dedicated line that went straight to a radio transmitter, bypassing the station, a week before Hurricane Andrew made contact with the state.
The idea came after seeing the media blackout three years prior when Hurricane Hugo knocked out power in Charleston, South Carolina and prevented stations from being able to provide coverage.
Norcross said in the documentary that the storm surge in Biscayne Bay was 17 feet high and completely destroyed a wooden home built in 1900. A nearby stone building, however, survived the unprecedented flooding.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Norcross was credited with saving many Floridians’ lives, telling them to get to higher ground or take cover.
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"And get under the mattress," he advised. "That was one of the best things I ever said that I remembered from a book I read."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Norcross’ documentary, "The Wrath of Hurricane Andrew: Tragedy and Triumph" is set to air tonight at 10 p.m. ET on Fox Weather.