Hurricane Sandy, also known as “Superstorm Sandy,” was the deadliest and most destructive hurricane of 2012 as well as the second costliest hurricane in United States history. A category 3 storm when it made landfall, the hurricane caused damage of more than $65 billion. It affected no less than 24 states, including the entire eastern seaboard.
The most severe damage occurred in the New York and New Jersey areas. The storm surge hit New York City on October 29th, flooding everything in its path. Streets, subway lines, and tunnels were destroyed, electric power in the lower part of Manhattan was cut, and boardwalks and homes were destroyed. Restoring areas such as Coney Island in Brooklyn, Seaside Heights in New Jersey, and Rockaway Beach in Queens continues to be a long and costly process. However, as the first anniversary of the superstorm approaches, we can also appreciate how much progress has been made.
Although strides have been made towards recovery, they are far from over. According to USA Today,the weather we saw with hurricane Sandy was unheard of, and may actually occur again.
Woman walking her pet down a sidewalk lined with American flags in the Hurricane Sandy devastated area of the Breezy Point section of the Queens. ReutersA man walks past a vacant plot where a restaurant building stood before Hurricane Sandy. ReutersJean Laurie changes the numbers on a sign she erected across the road from where her house once stood before being destroyed by hurricane Sandy in October of 2012 in the Ocean Breeze section of Staten Island in New York City, October 23, 2013.ReutersRockaway Beach Boardwalk one year after Hurricane Sandy. ReutersA woman stands on the beach behind the boardwalk destroyed by hurricane Sandy in the Rockaway, Queens. ReutersLights illuminate the amusement park at Coney Island in the Brooklyn Borough of New York, May 26, 2013. Seven months after Hurricane Sandy, New York's beaches have reopened before the Memorial Day holiday.ReutersPeople sit on the boardwalk at Coney Island in the Brooklyn.ReutersMarie Ecker poses for a portrait outside her destroyed home at 100 Fox Lane in the Oakwood Beach section of Staten Island in New York City. ReutersBritain's Prince Harry and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie walk the new boardwalk in Seaside Heights during a tour of areas hit by Hurricane Sandy. ReutersPeople pose for a picture across the Hudson River from New York's Lower Manhattan and One World Trade Center on the newly reopened Pier C. Reuters
