Hurricane Sandy

when was hurricane sandy

october 2012

what was a social impact involving deaths

Out of a total death toll of 150, 72 people were killed directly by the hurricane in the US

what was a social impact involving housing

Around 200,000 homes were destroyed, with New York declaring that 30–40,000 people were made homeless

what was a social impact involving infrastructure

Electricity supplies cut to 9 million people for 2 days, including 2 million people in New York and forcing many to evacuate their homes

what was a social impact involving education

schools were closed for days

what was a social impact involving flooding

East River flooded due to intense rainfall, flooding seven subway tunnels in Lower Manhatten, closing part of New York subway system lengthening commuter journeys to work.

what was an economic impact involving flooding

Estimated property damage of around US$65 billion. In New York City, economic losses were estimated at more than US$18 billion

what was an economic impact involving fuel

The government had to pay for diesel and petrol to be brought in as supplies ran out

what was an economic impact involving events

Loss of income from cancelled events: the New York Marathon had to be cancelled, impacting many businesses

what was an economic impact involving businesses

Businesses were lost due to the damage, with an estimated job loss of 30,000. Many businesses did not have insurance to cover floods and storm damage

what was an economic impact involving flights

15,000 flights were cancelled into New York and the East Coast airports disrupted trade both internally and internationally

what was an economic impact involving homes

Storm surge damaged 100,000 buildings on Long Island in New York, with 2,000 destroyed.

what was an economic impact involving trade

New York Stock Exchange shut down for 2 days & New York Marathon tourist event cancelled.  

what was an environmental impact involving sewage

1.5 billion tonnes of untreated sewage from flooded areas around New Jersey and New York City contaminated the Raritan river

what was an environmental impact involving nature reserves

The storm surge caused significant damage to coastal nature reserves such as the Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge in Delaware

what was an environmental impact involving beaches

In parts of New Jersey, 10 meters of beach was lost, exposing the coast to future coastal erosion and damaging habitats

what was an environmental impact involving oil leaks

300,000 gallons of oil spilled into the New Jersey waterways when industrial sites were flooding

what was an environmental impact involving salt water

Salt water from storm surge contaminated fresh water habitats in Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge in Delaware. 

what was an individual response involving evacuation

Residents evacuated

what was an individual response involving concerts

The 12-12-12 Concert for Sandy Relief with Bruce Springsteen and Bon Jovi

what was an individual response involving donations

Donations to the Red Cross, Blood was needed and many people donated

what was an invidual response involving insurance

• People whose homes had been damaged moved in with relatives went to hotels paid for by insurance.

• Most people in USA had home insurance & builders hired to carry out repairs.  High demand meant often some delay.

• Insurance paid to replace damaged property.

what was an individual response linked with rebuilding

Communities supported each other and helped with rescue and rebuilding

what was an organisational responses involving flights

flights cancellations put in place

what was an organisational responses involving nature parks

National park service closed at least five sections

what was an organisational responses involving power stations

Power companies attempted to prevent long-term power failures by being prepared to repair storm damage and by having employees work longer hours

what was an organisational responses involving the red cross

American Red Cross provided 7,000 emergency shelters across the region. US Red Cross provided 17 million meals & overnight shelter for 74,000 people.

what was an organisational responses involving direct relief

Direct Relief provided medical supplies to support medical relief and recovery efforts, NGO

what was an organisational responses involving AmeriCare

AmeriCares provided $7.1 million to 450,000, particulalry to  poorer, uninsured people for repairs & medical care.

what was an organisational responses involving Canadian Rivers Institute

NGO Canadian Rivers Institute provided guidance to volunteers re-establishing horseshoe crab nesting areas on damaged beaches.

what was an organisational response involving transport

FedEx transported medical supplies to affected areas for free

what was a governmental response involving assistance

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) provided 7,000 people to establish 65 Disaster Recovery Centres and gave over US$600 million in direct assistance to individuals impacted by the storm

what was a governmental response involving the national guard

National Guard and U.S Air Force put as many as 45,000 personnel in at least seven states on alert for possible duty in response to the preparations and aftermath of Hurricane Sandy

what was a governmental response involving cancellations

Closures and cancellations of activities in schools

Metro services: rail and buses were cancelled

what was a governmental response involving rebuilding

US$50.5 billion Hurricane Sandy relief bill was passed through legislation to help rebuild and support victims

New York set up a new local government office to support the rebuild

what was a governmental response involving social media

US govenment Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) monitored social media sites as cyclone passed to direct Fire Department staff & army engineers where most needed.

what was a governmental response involving satelitte

Army Corps of Engineers used satellite photos to assess damage to intrastructure & beaches & allocate resources.

what was a governmental response involving aid

US govenment provided $60 billion aid to fund relief work.

what was a governmental response involving agriculture

Department of Agriculture provided $6 million for economic programmes to repair farmland.