Post-Tropical Cyclone Sandy 2012: Statistics & News

tropical storm sandy

New York and New Jersey awoke Tuesday to devastating flooding, power outages and scattered fires left in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, which cast broad swaths of the Northeast into darkness as it barreled ashore overnight and left at least 18 dead from Connecticut to North Carolina.¹

Power remained out for roughly six million people, including a large swath of Manhattan. Bridges remained closed, and seven subway tunnels under the East River were flooded. Other mass transit service, including commuter rails, was also still suspended. The storm was the most destructive in the 108-year history of New York's subway system.²

Over the past week, Sandy has killed more than 80 people as it carved a path of destruction through the Caribbean. The storm made landfall close to Atlantic City in New Jersey on Monday at about 20:00 local time (midnight GMT), with winds of more than 80mph (129km/h). It collided with cold weather fronts from the west and north to create what some forecasters have dubbed a "Frankenstorm".³

Contents

Statistics

69 Carribbean casualties
110 US casualties
4.6 million without power across 13 states and DC
139 mph - highest gust of wind - Mt. Washington, New Hampshire
13.88 feet storm surge, Lower Manhattan
12.55 in rainfall, Easton, Maryland
29 hospitals with power outage, New Jersey
Estimated US $30-40 Billion in damage
95,000 people registered for emergency houssing assistance in New York & New Jersey
650,000 buildings without power one week after Sandy struck
70 percent of crops destroyed in Haiti
188,000 homes destroyed in Cuba
Statistics taken from – BBC and Los Angeles Times

News

(January 29, 2013) – New York Times: Congress Approves $51 Billion in Aid for Hurricane Victims
(January 4, 2013) – New York Times: Experts Advise Cuomo on Disaster Measures
(December 20, 2012) – Businessweek: Debate Over Divvying Up Hurricane Sandy Relief Money
(December 18, 2012) – New York Times: Former Landfill Proves a Savior in the Hurricane
(December 18, 2012) – Telegraph (UK): Hurricane Sandy to Cost Lloyd's of London $200m
(December 14, 2012) – Reuters: Senate Seeks $60 Billion Sandy Aid
(December 13, 2012) – NPR: New York Planners Prep For A 'New Normal' Of Powerful Storms
(December 7, 2012) – CNN: Bloomberg says NYC will rebuild with climate change in mind
(December 6, 2012) – Wall Street Journal: Sandy Alters 'Reality'
(December 6, 2012) – Washington Post: Mayor: From building codes to evacuation zones, NYC is working on storm, climate prep
(December 6, 2012) – New York Times: Mayor Pledges to Rebuild and Fortify Coast
(December 5, 2012) – New York Times: White House to Ask for $50 Billion in Hurricane Relief Aid
(December 4, 2012) – New York Times: Sand Dunes Prove They Blunt Storms
(November 28, 2012) – NY Guovernor Cuomo: Governor Cuomo Announces Appointments to Commissions to Improve New York State's Emergency Preparedness and Response Capabilities and Strengthen The State's Infrastructure to Withstand Natural Disasters
(November 27, 2012) – USA Today: UN Climate Scientist: Sandy No Coincidence
(November 27, 2012) – New York Times: Hurricane Sandy's Rising Costs
(November 20, 2012) – New York Times: Vetoing Business as Usual After the Storm
(November 15, 2012) – Wall Street Journal: Quinn Calls for Sea Wall to Shield City
(November 15, 2012) – Reuters: FEMA May Seek Flood Insurance Bailout after Sandy
(November 13, 2012) – New York Times: Flood Insurance, Already Fragile, Faces New Stress
(November 13, 2012) – CBS News: Superstorm Sandy Shook U.S. Like an Earthquake
(November 12, 2012) – BBC: Cuba Struggles to Help those Hit
(November 8, 2012) – Bloomberg: Sandy Might Send More than 250,000 Cars to Scrap Heap
(November 5, 2012) – CNN Money: Sandy's Cost to Economy: Up to $50 Billion
(November 5, 2012) – BBC: Haiti Appeals for International Help after Storm
(November 5, 2012) – New York Times: Sandy Versus Katrina
(November 1, 2012) – BBC: Death Toll Hits 90 and Keeps Rising
(November 1, 2012) – Forbes: Hurricane Sandy and the Invisible Hand of Disaster Recovery
(November 1, 2012) – Daily Beast: How Congress Already Helped Hurricane Sandy Victims
(November 1, 2012) – USA Today: Towns in Sandy's Path Did Little to Prepare for Floods
(November 1, 2012) – NPR: Sandy Leaves Long List of Health Threats
(October 31, 2012) – Businessweek: Subway Chaos and the Man Who Saw It Coming
(October 31, 2012) – New York Times: For Years, Warnings That It Could Happen Here
(October 30, 2012) – Toronto Star: Toronto Power Outages
(October 30, 2012) – ABC News: Hurricane Sandy: Problems at Five Nuclear Plant
(October 30, 2012) – ABC News: Backup Generator Fails; NYU Medical Center Evacuated
(October 30, 2012) – New York Times: Northeast Awakes to Huge Damage in Storm's Path
(October 30, 2012) – BBC: Storm-hit New York Declared Major Disaster Area
(October 30, 2012) – Washington Post: Powerful Storm Devastates New York, New Jersey
(October 30, 2012) – Washington Post: Death Toll Rises to 65 as Flooding Continues in Haiti
(October 30, 2012) – Philadelphia Inquirer: Three Million Without Power
(October 30, 2012) – Baltimore Sun: Superstorm Sandy
(October 30, 2012) – Wall Street Journal: Sandy Hits Coast, Floods New York

Reports, Blogs, Special Features & Web Resources

Engineering News Record – Sandy Recovery
Time – Hurricane Sandy by the Numbers
Time – Why We Can't Keep Rebuilding on the Water's Edge
CNN – Rebuilding After Sandy is Too Big a Risk
FEMA – Hurricane Sandy
NOAA – Storm Central 2012
NOAA – Hurricane Sandy's Transition to a Post-Tropical Cyclone
FEMA – Natural Disaster Mitigation: Hurricanes
MCEER – Hurricane Web Resources
BBC – Sandy
New York Times – State-by-State Guide
US Department of Transportation – Blog
Washington Post – Sandy
Huffington Post: Under Siege

Maps

Google – Interactive Crisis Map
New York Times – Hurricane Evacuation Map
New York Times – Wind Speeds Along Hurricane Sandy's Path
New York Times – Assessing the Damage
NOAA – Rainfall Forecast Graphics

Videos

New York Times – Aerial View of Hurricane Sandy from the 51st Floor of the NY Times Building
BBC – Aerial footage shows devastation

Images

ABC – Superstorm Sandy Before & After Images
New York Times – Past Hurricanes in New York's History
New York Times – Readers' Photographs
NASA Earth Observatory – Hurricane Sandy
NOAA – Satellite Image
Washington Post – Hurricane Sandy
Weather Channel– Superstorm Slams East

Aid Efforts

FEMA– Governor Cuomo Announces FEMA Extends Transitional Sheltering Assistance Program in NY for an Additional Four Weeks
FEMA – Four New Disaster Recovery Centers Open in New York
Red Cross – Get Assistance
NYS DHS – Hurricane Sandy
FEMA – Apply for Disaster Assistance: New Jersey
FEMA – Apply for Disaster Assistance: New York

QUAKELINE® Literature Searches

Hurricane Education Resources

New York Times – Manage the Disaster: Preparing for Natural Disasters
NASA – Hurricane Education
NOAA – Hurricane Education
Discovery – Grade 6-7 Lesson Plan