🌋Case Study - Hurricane Sandy 2012 Flashcards
When did Hurricane Sandy occur?
October 2012
Where did the hurricane originate?
South of Kingston, Jamaica
When did the eye begin developing?
October 24th
Where was Sandy updated to hurricane status?
65 miles south of Kingston
What was the diameter of the storm?
1100 miles, much larger than other tropical storms
Why did the hurricane change track?
Due to cool air in the North and the jet stream to the West, pushing it across New York
When did Sandy hit the US coast?
October 30th
Why did Sandy have such a significant impact on the US?
Everyone was largely unprepared because of the late notice of change of track
How many people were killed?
111, 41 in NY alone
How many were without power in New Jersey?
1 million
How many people were without power in New York?
750,000
How many people were without power in Ontario?
145,000
How many major New York airports were closed?
3, including JFK
How much did the damage cost?
$63 million
How was the NY stock exchange affected?
It was closed
How was the economy affected?
Banks, shops, financial institutions closed and 2nd largest oil refinery
How bad was the rainfall in the area?
It was the worst rainfall in a century
How was the coastline affected?
1600km of coast was impacted by a 6-7m storm surge
How many fires broke out across New York?
23
How were US politics affected?
The presidential election was interupted
What was rationed?
Fuel, and number plate recognition was brought in
How much money was spent by the Red Cross over a 3 year period?
$313 million
What did Direct Relief provide?
89 emergency deliveries of medicine & supplies to 35 health centres in NY and NJ
What did the Red Cross do?
Opened shelters to provide safe places to stay before, during and after the storm
How many storm damaged homes are being repaired?
757+, 158 already completed
How many households in NY and NJ received FEMA payments?
179,000
How much did the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act provide to help rebuild?
$50 million
How many people in Manhattan were advised to evacuate due to a potential storm surge?
350,000
How many flights were cancelled in view of strong winds?
12,000
How did shops around New York respond?
By boarding up shops, including on 5th Avenue, to protect them from high winds and debris
Why were Sandy’s effects so intense?
There had been no long term preparation and the area is not used to storm of such intensity, or even at all.
How did Sandy affect countries other than the US?
. Haiti was still recovering from the 2010 earthquake when it was hit
. Cuba refused foreign aid or NGOs
. There was no national government shelter strategy in the Dominican Republic
. Sandy had catastrophic effect.
What did the NYC Mayor release on June 11, 2013?
A report called ‘A Stronger, More Resilient New York’, addressing coastal protection, insurance, utilities and community preparedness
Location: When did Sandy begin as a tropical depression?
22nd October
Location: What path did Sandy take?
Northwards- Haiti and Cuba
Moved along the East Coast of America before turning west to strike New York
Cause: What 2 factors caused the hurricane?
Low wind shear
Warmer than usual waters
Cause: When did Sandy develop an eye and become upgraded to hurricane status?
24th October
Cause: Why did the storm turn west at the end?
High pressure in Greenland, cold air
Jetstream
Caused storm to be pushed over warmer waters
Cause: Why was their significantly more chance of storm surge?
Due to a full moon in the area at the time
P.E.: How many died in New York?
41, 1 woman from falling debris
P.E.: Which city’s famous boardwalk was shattered?
Atlantic City
P.E.: What happened at one of the construction sites in NYC?
A crane collapsed
P.E.: Which transport system was flooded?
Subway
P.E.: How many gallons of diesel leaked?
336,000 gallons
P.E.: What happened to many commuters?
They were stranded
S.E.: Where was a levee overtopped by storm surge?
Along Hackensack River
S.E.: How many towns were submerged with 1.5m of water from the overtopped levee?
3
S.E.: How many were without power across the East Coast?
8.1 million
S.E.: How many petrol stations had fuel to sell?
25%
S.E.: When did a snowstorm hit New York? How many people had to be rehoused?
7th November
40,000
S.E.: How high were the wind speeds that damaged trees?
144km/h
S.E. USA: How many homes were destroyed by fires in the Borough of Queens?
80 homes
S.E.: How many days did New York’s stock exchange close for?
2 days, losing millions of $ in revenue
S.E.: Where were ambulances and fire services moved?
Inland
I.R.: Why were many evacuated?
Because of authority suggestions to reduce the numbers of dead and injured
I.R.: How many were temporarily rehoused into hotel rooms and empty apartments?
40,000
I.R.: Why did crime levels flourish?
Because of a lack of power
I.R.: How many health centres did Direct Relief deliver to across the states impacted?
35
I.R.: Which company helped to deliver Direct Relief’s medicine?
FedEx
I.R.: What 2 things did runners from the cancelled New York marathon do?
Impromptu fundraising
Deliver rations
I.R.: Why were flights cancelled?
Due to strong wind speeds
I.R.: When did NYC’s 3 main airports reopen?
3rd November
I.R.: How many gallons of water did the US Army pump out of the subway in 9 days?
475 million gallons
I.R.: What % of Manhattan’s workforce rely on the subway?
70%
L.R.: How much did Direct Relief give in grants non-profit health organisations?
$2 million- helped to rebuild the regional health network
L.R.: How many homes has NYC’s Build It Back Program rebuilt?
How many are currently in the process of being rebuilt?
158 homes rebuilt
757 in progress
Very poor response in 6 years considering 14,000 homes applied
L.R.: How many homes had mould within 6 months?
2/3
L.R.: How much has been paid out under the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act?
$11 million
L.R.: How much is still to be paid out under the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act?
$8 million, leaving thousands waiting
L.R.: How much have hazard mitigation grants totalled in New York and New Jersey?
$822 million
L.R.: How many meals and snacks did the Red Cross deliver?
17.5 million
L.R.: How many people, mainly volunteers, helped the Red Cross?
17,000
L.R.: Why were the Red Cross criticised?
Too focussed on publicity
i.e. Emergency response vehicles in backdrop of press reports rather than delivering food to destinations
When the USA made landfall what was the status of Sandy?
It had been downgraded to a tropical storm but covered a huge area
Why did Sandy hit the USA?
It unusually curved back towards the USA because of blocking high pressure over Greenland which prevented movement over the Atlantic
How many homes were damaged or destroyed?
600,000 homes
How many were evacuated?
1 million
What happened to the subway?
It flooded
What city tourist destination was destroyed?
Boardwalk in Atlantic city
How many homes were lost to fires and why?
Flooding hampered firefighting and 80 homes were lost due to gas fires where firefighters could not reach the area
What did fuel shortages lead to?
Long queues at petrol stations
What happened to New York’s airports and how many where there?
All 3 of New York’s airports were immediately closed. Leaving thousands stranded in New York and all over the world
How many needed to be rehoused due to snow?
40,000
What had to be cancelled?
New York marathon
What had to be closed and for how long?
Stock exchange closed for 2 days for the first time since 9/11
What was destroyed and what did this restrict?
East coast oil refinery was destroyed restricting USA oil production
What was the financial loss from the closure of New York businesses?
$18 billion
Political effect
Both Barack Obama and Mitt Romney had to stop election campaigns for 3 days because of the disaster
