Costliest US Hurricane? That Was Andrew in '92

No trashy jokes, please, but perhaps you can empathize with a Sioux Falls, S.D., couple whose teenage son accidentally threw away a candy wrapper that looked as though it was the winner in a national giveaway contest. The Snickers wrapper from the company's $2 million NFL Shockwave MVP game ended up in Shirley and Tim Garrett's refuse somewhere in the city dump. They enlisted friends to help search for the precious piece of paper. The city's response: No way, because the landfill also holds hazardous wastes. Said a philosophical Mrs. Garrett: ""It's OK; life will go on. We've got each other."

In Mexico City, where police are having trouble fending off corruption allegations, Adolfo Garcia has become a poster boy for honesty. Garcia, who's paid only $6,000 a year, chased down a man trying to get away with $10,000 in cash accidentally dropped outside the US embassy by a departing diplomat. Yes, he returned every cent of it. Costliest US Hurricane? That Was Andrew in '92

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has released this ranking of the 10 costliest US storms in terms of total damage, disregarding any loss of life or injuries. Those storms, the year each occurred, the affected region, and a damage estimate (in billions, adjusted to 1996 dollars):

1. Andrew (1992), Florida, Louisiana $30.47
2. Hugo (1989), South Carolina $8.49
3. Agnes (1972), Northeast $7.50
4. Betsy (1965), Florida, Louisiana $7.43
5. Camille (1969), Mississippi, Alabama $6.01
6. Diane (1955), Northeast $4.83
7. Frederic (1979), Alabama, Mississippi $4.33
8. Unnamed (1938), New England $4.14
9. Fran (1996), North Carolina $3.20 10. Opal (1995), Florida, Alabama $3.01