Hurricane Sandy Flashcards
Date
. Made landfall with USA 29th October 2012 after damaging the Caribbean from the 18th onwards
Background
. When it made USA landfall Sandy had been downgraded to a tropical storm but covered a huge area
. It unusually curved back towards the USA because of blocking high pressure over Greenland which prevented movement over the Atlantic.
Primary effects
. Worst rainfall in a century brought widespread flooding
. 111 people were killed
. 1.8 million in New Jersey and New York were without electricity
. 600 000 homes were either damaged or destroyed
. 1 mil evacuated
. Total damage = $63 billion
. Boardwalk in Atlantic city tourist destination was destroyed
. One crane collapsed
. Part of the subway was flooded
Secondary effects social
. Flooding hampered firefighting and 80 homes were lost due to gas fires where firefighters could not reach the area
. Fuel shortages led to long queues at petrol stations
. All 3 of New York’s airports were immediately closed. Leaving thousands stranded in New York and all over the world
. Lack of power followed by snow and cold weather led to people freezing and a rise in crime in unoccupied buildings
. 40,000 needed to be rehoused due to snow following the hurricane
Secondary effects economic
. Commuters couldn’t get to work due to closed subway and railway lines due to flooding. Reducing productivity.
. New York marathon had to be cancelled (loss of tourism revenue)
. Stock exchange closed for 2 days for the first time since 9/11
. East coast oil refinery was destroyed restricting USA oil production
. $18 billion in financial losses from closure of New York businesses
Secondary effects political
Both Barack Obama and Mitt Romney had to stop election campaigns for 3 days because of the disaster
