Hurricane Sandy Frankenstorm 2012

The Facts Hurricane Sandy was a late-season post-tropical cyclone that swept through the Caribbean and up the East Coast of the United States in October The storm left dozens dead, thousands homeless and millions without power. Total damage is expected to be in the billions of dollars. The death toll from Sandy as of Nov. 1 was at least 149.

During the Storm… Hurricane Sandy made landfall in the United States near Atlantic City, N.J. with winds of 80 mph. A full moon made high tides 20 percent higher than normal and amplified Sandy’s Storm surge. Streets were flooded, trees and power lines knocked down, houses were obliterated, and the city's famed boardwalk was ripped apart. Along the Jersey shore, people were left stranded in their homes and waited for rescue teams in boats to arrive.

During the Storm… Water surged over Lower Manhattan's seawalls and highways and into low-lying streets. The water inundated subway stations (which left certain lines out of commission for weeks/months after). A large tanker ship ran aground on the city's Staten Island. More than 80 homes were destroyed in one fire in Queens. Several other fires were started throughout the New York metro area. Skyscrapers swayed and creaked in winds that partially toppled a crane that towered 74 stories above Midtown.

The Immediate Aftermath: Loss of Human Life As mentioned earlier, the death toll tallied at 159. The confirmed deaths include 42 in New York; 12 in New Jersey; nine in Maryland; six in Pennsylvania; five in West Virginia; four in Connecticut; two in Virginia; and one in North Carolina. One person died in Canada, and at least 67 people were killed in the Caribbean, including 54 in Haiti.

The Immediate Aftermath…. 161,000 family units (men, women, and children) became homeless. In Coney Island, the Rockaways, and other parts of NYC and LI, looters targeted homes that had been evacuated. For many families, the few salvageable possessions that they had left were stolen. In some cases, houses that had successfully withstood the storm with minimal structural damage were completely gutted by thieves. Raw sewage, toxic waste, asbestos and mold created a public health crisis for residents and responders alike. Airlines canceled more than 15,000 flights around the world Most gas stations in New York City and New Jersey were closed because of power shortages and depleted fuel supplies. 8.5 million people across 15 states were without power

The Aftermath in the Long Term Sandy will end up causing about $20 billion in property damage and $10 billion-$30 billion more in lost business, making it one of the costliest natural disasters on record in the United States. Six months after the storm, 39k New Jersey families still displaced.

Response Efforts

Independent Organizations The Red Cross has made more than 72,000 health and mental health contacts since landfall, trained more than 10,000 people, served over 7 million meals and snacks, and distributed over 700,000 bulk items, clean up kits and comfort items.

So what is the government doing to help? …prepare for disappointment

Federal Emergency Management Agency The agency whose mission is to help speed recovery after disastrous storms may in fact be preventing families left homeless by Sandy from rebuilding. Long Island FEMA appears to be undercutting on insurance claims leaving families no better off than they were days after the 2012 storm. Analysts believe that those displaced by Sandy are paying for the sins of Katrina in which lax oversight led to huge waste that has left FEMA's Flood Insurance Program $24 billion dollars in the red.

How the Community Came Together

Improvised Recovery Center at the VFW “Stores” like this one popped up where spontaneous donations met local need

The Knights of Columbus “Comfort Grill” Retired NYPD and NYFD, many of them 9/11 survivors, donated food cooked by the Knights. Everyone, volunteers, workers, and residents, ate for free.