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HURRICANE ANDREW RETROSPECTIVE PUBLISHED 10 YEARS AFTER BIG ONE
Book, Website Document Storm's Impact on South Florida

by Lourdes Cue

CORAL GABLES, FL - Just as South Florida and the nation look back on Hurricane Andrew on the 10th anniversary of the devastating storm that battered South Florida in August of 1992, University of Miami professor Eugene F. Provenzo Jr. will release In the Eye of Hurricane Andrew, a comprehensive oral history, done with the collaboration of students participating in the Hurricane Andrew Oral History Research Project. The book, published by University Press of Florida, was co-authored by Provenzo's wife, Asterie Baker Provenzo. It is available at local bookstores and through the University of Florida Press at http://www.upf.com.

Weaving together first-person accounts of those who survived the hurricane, the book, which begins in the hours before "the big one" struck, chronicles the history of the storm and the rebuilding process from the perspective of people in the community. The project began in the storm's immediate aftermath when Provenzo began conducting informal interviews, as a way of coping and understanding the storm's magnitude. Thanks to the efforts of undergraduate and graduate students at UM, many of who weathered the storm, it soon developed into a formal collaborative, documentary effort.

"Hurricane Andrew was a critical turning point in the history of South Florida," said Provenzo. "It's important to try to understand the role of the storm in shaping the community and to reflect on some of the structural and social inequities that it brought to light."

A group of students helped Provenzo design a website, http://digital.library.miami.edu/andrew/, which includes transcripts of approximately 70 interviews, audio files, photos and images from the National Hurricane Center.

Later in the summer, the Otto Richter Library at UM will feature an installation entitled "The Signs of Andrew" that, like the website, will showcase these unique photos from the storm. The exhibit will be on display from mid-July to December.

Professor Provenzo and his wife Asterie Baker Provenzo can be contacted for interviews at: 305-667-5681. His vita is available online at: http://www.education.miami.edu/ep/vita/. His e-mail is: provenzo@miami.edu.

Books are available at full service book stores or call toll-free at 1-800-226-3822.