October 22, 2013:
“Superstorm Sandy” formed off a tropical wave in the Caribbean Sea. It would end up killing 233 people over the span of eight countries, with 159 deaths in the U.S. alone (See: Hurricane Sandy mortality in the Caribbean and continental North America ). “Sandy’s impact on major population centers caused widespread interruption to critical water / electrical services. […] Sandy also caused the New York Stock Exchange to close for two consecutive business days, which last happened in 1888 due to a major winter storm.” — NOAA: Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters
Impact:
- Estimated Cost: $70.2 billion
- Deaths: 159 (U.S. only); 233 (total)
Related Resources:
- S. Hrg. 112-761: Recovering from Superstorm Sandy: Rebuilding Our Infrastructure, Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development of the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, United States Senate, One Hundred Twelfth Congress, Second Session on Addressing Challenges to Public Transit and Housing in the New York-New Jersey Region Following Superstorm Sandy and Actions Needed to Strengthen the Region’s Infrastructure to Prevent Devastation from Future Superstorms, December 20, 2012.
Photo: Hurricane Sandy causing extreme beach conditions at Myrtle Beach, USA on October 27, 2012