About US: History

In 1996, the Florida Board of Regents created the International Hurricane Research Center (IHRC) at Florida International University to carry out multidisciplinary research and training on hurricane hazards and to assist individual communities, government, and business enterprises in improving mitigation and preparedness. Our geographic focus is Florida, other Atlantic and Gulf Coast states, as well as Caribbean and Central American nations, including Mexico.

The Center developed as a result of a public-private partnership between the We Will Rebuild Foundation, (an organization formed to spearhead the rebuilding of Miami-Dade County after Hurricane Andrew), and Florida International University. The IHRC is Florida's official hurricane research center for the eleven universities that comprise the state university system. The Center collaborates actively with the National Hurricane Center, co-located on the FIU University Park Campus in West Miami-Dade.