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Voices of Hurricane Andrew Were Riders On The Storm

We first aired this piece five years ago, and we're bringing it back now to mark the 25th anniversary of Hurricane Andrew.  A happy update: Joe Johnson, the DJ who created this piece just a few days after the storm, is now WLRN's morning host. 

You can find a lot more stories about Hurricane Andrew, 25 years later, here

We’re psyched to be able to share a piece of archival Hurricane Andrew ephemera from a familiar voice for some South Florida radio listeners. Joe Johnson  has been a DJ at Majic 102.7 for the last 25 years. He hosts the nationally syndicated “Beatle Brunch” show.

A couple of days after Hurricane Andrew hit, Johnson was on the air doing his part.  He was feeling a little helpless, so he started, “looking for songs that would help paint the picture of what was going on down here. Songs like 'Lean on Me' or 'America' or 'Come Together'.” He finally decided “Riders on the Storm” by The Doors would be the perfect song to accompany an audio snapshot of life after Hurricane Andrew.

Johnson’s piece originally aired on Magic 102.7 just days after Hurricane Andrew. He rediscovered it just in time for the 20th anniversary. Here, in full, is Joe Johnson’s original piece (listen on the player above).

And you can listen to more pieces like Joe's or read more personal essays when you visit our “Remembering Andrew” Storify.

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