By: Merlyn Jeejo

What are the effects of the hurricane Sandy in New York?

The effects of Hurricane Sandy in New York in 2012 were really bad, particularly in New York City, its suburbs, and Long Island. Hurricane Sandy's impacts included the flooding of the New York City Subway system, many suburban communities and all road tunnels entering Manhattan except the Lincoln Tunnel. Quite a number of homes and businesses were destroyed by fire, including over 100 homes in Breezy Point, Queens. Large parts of New York City and surrounding areas lost electricity for several days, and thousands of people in midtown Manhattan were evacuated for six days due to the crane collapse at One57. Bellevue Hospital Centre and a few other large hospitals were closed and evacuated. At least 53 people died in New York as a result of the storm. Economic losses across New York were estimated to be at least $18 billion. On October 28, President Barack Obama signed an emergency declaration for the state of New York. More than 4 million people remain without power, as crews from across the country converge on the Northeast to restore electricity. Hard-hit sections of New York and New Jersey have begun clean up, with some restoration of transit and services. Lots and lots of buildings were destroyed from the Hurricane Sandy. According to scientific experts, next time the results could be far worse.

Political Impact of Hurricane Sandy

The post-tropical cyclone once known as Hurricane Sandy made a landfall in New Jersey. By the time it made landfall, it had merged with other storm systems. The combined storm caused over $50 billion in damages and cost over 100 lives in the United States. The storm itself and its aftermath had several direct and indirect effects on the American political environment leading up to the 2012 United States General Election, in which Mitt Romney challenged Barack Obama for the presidency. The day after hurricane Sandy hit the eastern United States, a political debate was raging over with Mitt Romney. Two days later on Wednesday, October 31, Governor Romney's campaign released a statement on his behalf which said: "I believe that FEMA plays a key role in working with states and localities to prepare for and respond to natural disasters... As president, I will ensure FEMA has the funding it needs to fulfil its mission, while directing maximum resources to the first responders who work tirelessly to help those in need, because states and localities are in the best position to get aid to the individuals and communities affected by natural disasters". The role of FEMA was to support the country when natural disasters happen. The New York Times posted an opinion piece titled, "A Big Storm Requires Big Government". The piece argued that FEMA was needed in natural disasters

What changes were made since the hurricane sandy struck New York/the aftermath?
A lot of changes were made since the hurricane sandy struck. Homes and lands were surrounded by washed up sand. A lot of programs were made to support the people who had lost their homes. A lot of different programmes were also made to prepare people for the next time something like this happened. United States, the country is struggling to decide not only how to rebuild and heal, but also how to mitigate the losses both personal and national borne as a result of such disasters. In the months following Hurricane Sandy's ravishment of communities in the Northeast, scientists vocally predicted the beginning of a "super storm" in the U.S., as "bigger storms and higher sea levels" are expected to "pile on to create a growing threat in the coming decades". After Hurricane Katrina, Bowman recommended that a surge protection barrier (referred to as the outer harbour gateway project) be constructed to protect New York City from a super storm. Such a project would cost up to $20 billion. Barack Obama decided that campaigns should run in New York city to help people who have lost their homes, and who were killed.