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CNN Live Saturday

South Florida Community Rebuilds After Hurricane Andrew

Aired August 24, 2002 - 17:18   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Ten years ago today, Hurricane Andrew demolished parts of South Florida, leaving thousands homeless and causing billions of dollars in damage. Now, one insurer is going after the Walt Disney Company to recoup some of the millions it paid in home owner claims. CNN's Miami bureau chief John Zarrella joins us from Miami-Dade County with more on that story. Hi there, John.
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka. Yeah, that's exactly right. We're at the development that is called Country Walk. And Country Walk 10 years ago really became synonymous with everything that can go wrong with building, with construction flaws, with the fact that buildings were getting signed off on and work not being done properly, inspections not being carried out.

And yet it is also a success story. And they celebrated that here today, because they've completely rebuilt from the ground up here at Country Walk. You can see it's a beautiful development once again. Nice lakes, and a lot of nice homes here. And today what they did is they cut the cake to celebrate their rebirth at Country Walk.

And it really has been a rebirth, because 10 years ago, they started again with everything demolished, and it was like the phoenix rising from the ashes.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think I still have that night stand.

ZARRELLA (voice-over): To the residents in the development, Chick Burnby (ph) is a Hurricane Andrew hero.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can see that the trusses had not been anchored down, there are no hurricane straps, there is no support on the trusses.

ZARRELLA: As the winds died down and the people in this South Miami townhouse complex began assessing damage, they say it became evident very quickly that their Country Walk community was poorly constructed and violated building codes. So they filed suit.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We looked at our homes; you wouldn't think anybody could have survived it. We were alive.

ZARRELLA: Three hundred and forty-four units were unlivable, condemned by the county. So what to do? There were plenty of tears, but that wasn't going to make the nightmare go away. Burnby (ph) is credited with taking charge, spearheading the effort to get Country Walk rebuilt.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We may have been the most I use the word upscale community that had this much damage.

ZARRELLA: With national attention focused on Country Walk, attention shrewdly garnered by Burnby (ph) and friends, the developer, the insurance company and the contractor settled before the class action suit went to trial.

Now, a decade later, their homes rebuilt from the slab up, there is satisfaction. This time, they know their homes are built right.

JUNE MASTRANDREA, COUNTRY WALK RESIDENT: We have so much to be grateful for. And it can happen to any place if it isn't built properly. And we know. We know, right, everyone, we know, we were up on ladders checking these roofs as they were being built to make sure.

ZARRELLA: Even the pain they used to feel watching Andrew home videos is gone.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There is the piece of the ceiling that fell on my head (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I knew I wasn't in Kansas anymore.

ZARRELLA: Yet despite their feelings of security, many of the residents say they would not ride out another storm like Andrew.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think most of us have been through a few hurricanes, but this thing was just -- deserved so much more respect.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZARRELLA: As horrible, as traumatic as it was here, again, one of the success stories, people who fought back and fought their way through the devastation and rebuilt their lives. This is John Zarrella, reporting live from Country Walk in South Florida.

WHITFIELD: Thanks, John. It's good to see all those happy ending type of stories 10 years later.

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