(RNN) - Although tropical storms - and even a hurricane - have already popped up in recent weeks, today is the first official day of the 2012 hurricane season.
Before the word Katrina became synonymous with the devastating power of hurricanes, there was Andrew, a Category 5 storm that slammed into southern Florida and Louisiana and caused an estimated $25 billion worth of damage and killed 15 people.
This hurricane season marks the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Andrew, which fundamentally changed the emphasis people put on hurricane preparedness. Andrew destroyed entire neighborhoods and left millions to rebuild their lives.
"The hurricane brought about "tent cities, no power for almost two months, looting and camping in the front yard," recalled Robert James Monday, who answered a callout on WFLX's Facebook page. Monday lived in Miami at the time of the storm.
This year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which runs the National Weather Service (NWS), expects a near-normal hurricane season in both the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans, but forecasters still warn everyone to stay safe and be prepared. It was just such a "normal" season that produced Andrew.
"Despite our predictions, it only takes one hurricane to cause a lot of damage and loss of life if people aren't prepared," said Gerry Bell, lead seasonal hurricane forecaster at NOAA's Climate Prediction Center.
The relatively low death count from Andrew, which NOAA said rose to 40 after the storm, was attributed to early predictions from the NWS and a quick response from the public.
"NOAA's improvement in monitoring and predicting hurricanes has been remarkable over the decades since Andrew," NOAA administrator Jane Lubchenco said.
The improvements include the creation of the Hurricane Forecast Improvement Project, which has already shown a more than 20 percent improvement in forecasting a storm's track and intensity.
A brochure from the project said it aims to reduce forecast errors by 50 percent by 2020.
Andrew devastated south Florida when it made landfall on Aug. 24, 1992. It was the first named storm in a late-starting season that produced only six named storms. Its intensity was unexpected and swift.
Michelle LaWall Vargas, who at the time lived in West Palm Beach, FL, had to evacuate her home because of the storm.
"[I] went to my sister's in Boynton and listened to the howling hurricane winds all night," she wrote on WFLX's Facebook wall. "I was working for a cruise line at Port of [Palm Beach] and another gambling ship sank at sea - ships go out of port during storms."
Meanwhile, Sharon Young Melaney, who was supposed to go to the Florida Keys that week and instead decided to go to North Carolina, said that on her way back to Florida she "got stuck in [a] convoy of utility and military vehicles" that stretched for "miles and miles" as they hurried south to render aid to the stricken areas.
Andrew's appearance was an anomaly in a mostly calm season.
"Regardless of the outlook, it's vital for anyone living or vacationing in hurricane-prone locations to be prepared," Lubchenco said.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) echoed NOAA's warnings to the public and urged people to have an emergency kit, make an emergency plan and stay informed.
The agency is also launching the Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMAS) this year to give the public emergency information as soon as possible.
"The wireless emergency alert capability provides an additional opportunity for the public to receive life-saving information needed to get out of harm's way when a threat exists," said Timothy Manning, FEMA deputy administrator for protection and national preparedness. "The public also has a critical role in their personal preparedness. There are a few simple steps that everyone can take to be prepared, like knowing which risks exist in your area and making a family emergency plan."
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Volunteer assistance was received from volunteer organizations, including the American Red Cross and Salvation Army, after Hurricane Andrew devastated south Florida in 1992. (Source: FEMA)
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