Blog 7 Proxima Project

Hurricane Sandy (2012)  

Stats:  

  • $72.2 Billion in damage  
  • 159 Deaths  

https://www.tvguide.com/news/hurricane-sandy-path-1055167/  

 

Overview: 

 Hurricane Sandy turned from a tropical wave to a hurricane in under five days when winds heightened to a speed of 74 mph. At the peak of being category two, the storm devastated the Caribbean and Haiti where the death tolls of each were higher than the US deaths combined. The category one storm then hit the US starting in NJ and going through New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Virginia, West Virginia, Connecticut, and the Carolinas. The perfect combination of the full moon and the hurricane together caused flooding to become a huge issue very quickly. The subways of NYC flooded and all along the Jersey coast. The winds wreaked havoc on the skyscrapers, trees, powerlines, and homes. Over 8 million people lost power throughout the East Coast. Tropical storms are usually not an issue in the areas that were destroyed and rebuilding the homes destroyed proved to be difficult because of the lack of insurance and the pure number of houses that were wrecked. Shortages in gas lead to a rise in gas prices and gas rationings throughout New Jersey. During the storms glory, the election campaign was put on hold for many people. Although the effects are not known, there were exceptions for voting polls where areas were still damaged or being repaired. 

https://www.livescience.com/24380-hurricane-sandy-status-data.html 

 

 

Communication:  

Human material impacts of Sandy were described in the New York Times as devastating and tragic. It mentioned the washed-out communities, the rampaging fires, and explosion of power lines. It also talked about the more than 40 lives that were claimed during this time period in New York. ABC covered the touchdown of the storm in Atlantic City, N.J. They mentioned the devastating impacts of sandy and how people died. They also showed images of the wreckage. This was shortly after the hurricane occurred but more recent articles are about prevention and what we can do to help those in need. 

https://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/31/us/hurricane-sandy-barrels-region-leaving-battered-path.html (2012) 

https://abcnews.go.com/US/hurricane-sandy-makes-landfall-jersey/story?id=17592795 (2012) 

 

 Vulnerability: 

Some of the problems that aided the impact of Hurricane Sandy were lack of disaster protection infrastructure. Power outages were abundant with more than 8 million people without power. Stations flooded and trees fell on the power lines. Transportation was another huge aspect affected by Sandy. Flights were cancelled, the subway was flooded, buses were down, AMTRAK trains were not operating, and bridges to and from Manhattan were closed. With basically all forms of Transporation down the city and surrounding areas were severely impacted. Fires were also common. Everyone was vulnerable to sandy, especially those commuting using public Transportaion. The homeless were also majorly affected because, well, they don’t have homes, so shelters were overcrowded. Crowded more than usual. So everyone was affected.  

https://www.thebalance.com/hurricane-sandy-damage-facts-330551 

 

 

Future Improvements:  

The eastern seaboard cities in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Virginia, and Maryland all felt the dramatic impacts of Hurricane Sandy in 2012. However, New York City is showing no interest in relocating businesses and houses along the Atlantic Ocean, rather investing $20 billion in protective measures. Other cities invested in flood walls (barriers) to protect against the heightened waves that accompany hurricanes and higher tides. Architectural plans for newer/recent projects have been adapted to account for heavy winds and flooding as well. Another popular example of improvement includes beachfront houses raised on platforms. This makes sure there is minimal flooding inside the home.  

https://www.archdaily.com/tag/hurricane-sandy  

https://www.thenation.com/article/3-years-after-hurricane-sandy-is-new-york-prepared-for-the-next-great-storm/  

 

 Implementation:  

While implementing strategies to reduce the effects of these disasters may seem in everyone’s best interests, there are some roadblocks that prevent some of these measures from seeing completion. For example, there is a monetary cost that affects these projects. When deciding between optional structural upgrades to buildings and cost cutting, some builders choose to save the money. In terms of the flood walls, this means increased taxes on citizens to fund the project. This also requires a vote, or specifically a levy to gauge support and seek approval from the community to move forward with the project. The problem regarding saving money in development can be solved by passing laws and regulations requiring increased structural stability and floodwater prevention systems in seaside cities and towns. These problems regarding community support can be fixed by hosting a community event where citizens can voice their opinions and concerns, and developers can share their ideas for the project before implementation. Allowing citizens the opportunity to feel included and heard goes a long way regarding the success of approving the project. 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *