Aug 23, 2007 12:34 am US/Eastern
Hurricane Andrew: Bryan Norcross Recalls The Storm
dl
MIAMI (CBS4) ―
It's been nearly 15 years since Hurricane Andrew changed not only the landscape of South Miami-Dade but also the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.
On the weekend Andrew approached South Florida and into the early morning hours of Monday, August 24, 1992, Bryan Norcross's 23-hour marathon broadcast became many viewers' and radio listeners' only link to the outside world.
Bryan Norcross, currently CBS4's Hurricane Expert, literally talked South Florida through Hurricane Andrew as he continued to broadcast from a makeshift bunker in a storage area of the old WTVJ building in downtown Miami. It was the only TV station fortunate enough to be able to broadcast through the entire hurricane event. Throughout the terrifying ordeal, viewers called into the station to ask for life-saving advice as their homes came down around them.
Throughout the entire ordeal, Norcross remained calm, steady and knowledgeable.
Looking back on Andrew, Bryan recalls the days leading up to the storm.
"It happened so quickly. This whole thing happened so quickly. Friday we were on the air. Saturday we were in preparation mode. Sunday we were preparing and boom it was here," says Norcross.
Andrew made landfall on Monday morning August 24th. On the Friday before it hit, Bryan was sounding the alarm even as other stations downplayed the storm.
"And I thought it's Friday we better raise the alert that this is a potential threat this weekend," according to Norcross.
Bryan was on the air with extensive coverage on Saturday and Sunday. Extensive hurricane research, he said, told him a hit by Andrew would be devastating.
He had done his homework.
"I had studied hurricanes history upside down and sideways and understood what would happen. That was the difference in broadcasters on the air at that time."
The coverage continued on Sunday, and overnight into Monday as the storm made landfall, and Bryan was forced to leave the studio to protect himself and head into the bunker.
Bryan's accurate forecast, level-headed advice, professional presence and calm delivery have earned him the trust of South Florida television viewers.
(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
