Hurricane Sandy (also referred to as Superstorm Sandy) was a tropical cyclone that severely affected portions of the Caribbean, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States in late October 2012. It was the largest Atlantic hurricane in diameter on record, with winds spanning 1,100 miles (1,800 km). The eighteenth tropical cyclone and named storm and tenth hurricane of the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Sandy is estimated in early calculations to have caused damage of at least $20 billion to $25 billion (2012 USD), which would rank it among the top five most destructive hurricanes on record.
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| Hurricane Sandy |
Sandy developed from a tropical wave in the western Caribbean Sea on October 22. It became a tropical depression, quickly strengthened, and was upgraded to a tropical storm six hours later. Sandy moved slowly northward toward the Greater Antilles and gradually intensified. On October 24, Sandy was upgraded to a hurricane, shortly before making landfall in Jamaica. Upon moving farther north, Sandy re-entered water and made its second landfall in Cuba during the early morning of October 25 as a Category 2 hurricane. During the late evening of October 25, Sandy weakened to Category 1 strength; in the early hours of October 26, it headed north through the Bahamas.
Sandy began to show some characteristics of both tropical and extratropical cyclones on October 26.[10] Sandy briefly weakened to a tropical storm in the early morning hours of October 27, then restrengthened to a Category 1 hurricane later that morning. Just before 8 a.m. EDT on October 29, Sandy turned to the north-northwest and started to make its expected approach towards the U.S. coast. At 7 p.m. EDT that evening, Sandy was declared a post-tropical cyclone, while still maintaining Category 1 strength.[11] Sandy made its final landfall 5 miles (8 km) southwest of Atlantic City, New Jersey at about 8 p.m. EDT on October 29.
In the United States, Hurricane Sandy affected at least 24 states, from Florida to New England, with tropical storm force winds stretching far inland and mountain snows in West Virginia. The cyclone brought a destructive storm surge to New York City on the evening of October 29, flooding numerous streets, tunnels and subway lines in Lower Manhattan and other areas of the city and cutting off electricity in many parts of the city and its suburbs. Extensive damage occurred in New Jersey, especially in the communities along the Jersey Shore.
Effects of Hurricane Sandy in New York
New York
On October 28, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency for every county in the state. He also asked for a pre-disaster declaration to better access federal assistance. Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano ordered voluntary evacuations of the South Shore storm surge area, which includes the area south of Sunrise Highway and north of Route 25A and in elevations 15 feet above sea level or less on the North Shore. Shelters were opened at Nassau Community College, Levittown Memorial High School, Locust Valley High School and SUNY Old Westbury. In Suffolk County, mandatory evacuations were ordered for residents of Fire Island and in surge zone areas in Babylon, Islip, Brookhaven, Riverhead, Southampton and Southold. Shelters were opened at Hampton Bays High School, Sachem East High School, and the Brentwood High School Sonderling Building. Most all schools closed in Nassau and Suffolk counties on October 29, including Nassau Community College, Molloy College, Hofstra University and Adelphi University. On October 28, President Obama signed an emergency declaration for the state of New York. The Metro-North Railroad and the Long Island Rail Road suspended service beginning 7 p.m. October 27 through October 29 and possibly October 30.
New York City
Portions of the FDR Drive remained flooded on the Tuesday morning after the storm On October 26 Mayor Michael Bloomberg originally told reporters that the city had begun taking precautions but that at that time there was no call for mandatory evacuations and no plans to suspend the city's mass transit or cancel school. But on October 28 Governor Cuomo ordered the MTA including the subway closed, and in a press conference immediately after Cuomo's announcement, Mayor Bloomberg ordered public schools closed on October 29. He also ordered mandatory evacuations for Zone A on Manhattan, which is the southern tip of the island as well as the Rockaways peninsula, a low-lying area of Queens. On October 28, officials activated the city's coastal emergency plan, with subway closings and the evacuation of residents in areas hit during Hurricane Sandy Irene in August 2011. More than 76 evacuation shelters were open around the city.
The MTA announced that all subway, bus and commuter rail service would be suspended, beginning at 7 p.m. EDT on October 28 and expected to be unavailable through at least October 30. All PATH train service and stations were shutdown at 12:01 a.m. October 29. 200 National Guard troops were deployed in the city. All bus carriers at the Port Authority Bus Terminal closed at 3 a.m. October 29 U.S. stock trading was suspended for October 29 and October 30. All state courts were closed on October 29, except for arraignments and emergency applications. NYU Langone Medical Center cancelled all surgeries and medical procedures, except for emergency procedures. Major carriers canceled all flights into and out of JFK, LaGuardia and Newark-Liberty airports. Broadway cancelled all October 28 evening and October 29 performances. Grand Central Terminal, Central Park and Battery Park were closed on October 29. The Holland Tunnel and the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel closed at 2 p.m. EDT on October 29. The Tappan Zee Bridge was closed later on that day. [ source : Wikipedia ]
