The Politics of Disaster: Tracking the Impact of Hurricane Andrew

227 Pages·2012·2.81 MB·English

by  David K Twigg

The Politics of Disaster
University Press of Florida
Florida A&M University, Tallahassee
Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton
Florida Gulf Coast University, Ft. Myers
Florida International University, Miami
Florida State University, Tallahassee
New College of Florida, Sarasota
University of Central Florida, Orlando
University of Florida, Gainesville
University of North Florida, Jacksonville
University of South Florida, Tampa
University of West Florida, Pensacola
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The Politics of Disaster
Tracking the Impact of Hurricane Andrew
David K. Twigg
University Press of Florida
Gainesville · Tallahassee · Tampa · Boca Raton
Pensacola · Orlando · Miami · Jacksonville · Ft. Myers · Sarasota
Copyright 2012 by David K. Twigg
All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America. This book is printed on
Glatfelter Natures Book, a paper certified under the standards of the
Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC). It is a recycled stock that contains
30 percent post-consumer waste and is acid-free.
17 16 15 14 13 12 6 5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Twigg, David K.
The politics of disaster : tracking the impact of Hurricane Andrew /
David K. Twigg.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-8130-4188-9 (alk. paper)
1. Hurricane Andrew, 1992—Political aspects. 2. Hurricanes—
Political aspects—Florida. 3. Natural disasters—Political aspects—
Florida. 4. Disaster relief—Political aspects—Florida. I. Title.
HV6361992.F6 T95 2012
363.34'92209759—dc23
2012009927
University Press of Florida
15 Northwest 15th Street
Gainesville, FL 32611-2079
http://www.upf.com
This book is dedicated to my wife, Rita, and the rest of my family,
who have supported me in this endeavor
as well as in my previous undertakings.
It is also dedicated to the memories of the victims
and to the survivors of hurricanes and other disasters
and to the many American heroes who came to their aid.
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Contents
List of Figures ix
List of Tables xi
Preface and Acknowledgments xiii
1. Disasters as Political Challenges 1
2. Florida Legislators: Locally Elected State Officials 17
3. The Kaleidoscope of Florida Politics 45
4. Executive Branch Effects? 59
5. Andrew’s First Cavalry: State Officials Respond 70
6. In the Eye: Incumbents from Severely Damaged Cities 107
7. On the Edge: Incumbents from Less Severely Damaged Cities 132
8. Out of the Eye: Incumbents from the Least Severely
Damaged Cities 144
9. Disasters as Political Challenges and Opportunities 156
Appendix: Methodology 171
Bibliography 181
Index 203
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Figures
1. Composite images of Hurricane Andrew, 1992 / 3
2. Andrew’s eye makes landfall, Dade County, Florida / 11
3. Andrew’s eye in relation to Dade municipalities / 12
4. Map of municipalities that suffered damage from Andrew / 13
ix