Why is sandy called a superstorm

Many people chose not to evacuate. Many homes along the East Coast were destroyed, with parts of the Jersey Shore and Staten Island particularly impacted. As long as five years after, some residents were still rebuilding , with many relocating to higher ground.

Thousands of people were temporarily left homeless, and more than 20, households were displaced a year after the storm hit. Though the storm itself wasn't as strong as other infamous hurricanes, a combination of weather factors and the fact that much of the region was unprepared for it contributed to high levels of damage.

Sandy is considered the fourth most expensive storm in U. Five years after Sandy, more than a thousand New Jersey residents reported still being unable to return home.

A report published by the city of New York outlines where the region was vulnerable to a storm the size of Sandy. It found that while some infrastructure like flood walls was out-of-date, the city also did not have sufficient plans in place to deal with the disaster.

Most businesses and homeowners in New York City did not have flood insurance, having never suspected a storm the size of Sandy could reach so far north.

In addition to providing state funding to help struggling people rebuild their homes, New York and New Jersey also invested in rebuilding their outdated infrastructure meant to prevent flooding. Even in , some East Coast cities are still pushing for additional funding to rebuild dunes and barriers destroyed by Sandy. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said at the time that his state's infrastructure needed to be rethought, not just rebuilt.

Climate experts predict that extreme weather events like Sandy will become more common as the planet warms , warning that leaders need to both prepare for a more uncertain world and work to reduce emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases.

All rights reserved. How did Sandy form? Share Tweet Email. Why it's so hard to treat pain in infants. This wild African cat has adapted to life in a big city. Animals Wild Cities This wild African cat has adapted to life in a big city Caracals have learned to hunt around the urban edges of Cape Town, though the predator faces many threats, such as getting hit by cars.

India bets its energy future on solar—in ways both small and big. Environment Planet Possible India bets its energy future on solar—in ways both small and big Grassroots efforts are bringing solar panels to rural villages without electricity, while massive solar arrays are being built across the country.

Go Further. Animals Climate change is shrinking many Amazonian birds. Animals Wild Cities This wild African cat has adapted to life in a big city. Animals This frog mysteriously re-evolved a full set of teeth. Animals Wild Cities Wild parakeets have taken a liking to London.

The question is, how likely is it that there will be more? Researchers continue to study whether Sandy was a forerunner of similar storms. She said other cities around the world have learned from New York's Sandy experience and are better preparing for flooding worsened by climate change and sea level. A September study by NOAA found that global warming triggered sea level rise is making Sandy-type flooding more likely.

For example, the flooding that swamped Sandy Hook, N. By , it could become a once-inyear event, the study said. In the past century, sea level in the New York region has risen about a foot, two-thirds of it caused by man-made climate change, said Princeton's Oppenheimer. The result? Fifty thousand people suffered flooding due to Sandy that wouldn't have happened if not for global warming, he said. Sandy wasn't always a big bully. For several days, this looked like a "kind of boring" hurricane, said NOAA meteorologist Ian Sears, who flew into the storm three times in a hurricane hunter airplane.

Then came Friday night, nearly three days before landfall in New Jersey, when the cold front chugging west hooked up with the tropical system steaming north. Suddenly, everything changed. Sandy wasn't getting its energy from warm water below like a normal hurricane, but being fueled from above.

The strongest winds were about miles to the west of the storm's center, something quite un-tropical. That moment "was absolutely critical," said Jeff Masters, director of meteorology at Weather Underground and a former hurricane hunter meteorologist.

That's a huge amount of power to put in one storm. Sandy kept growing. One neighborhood even burned to the ground. As cities and towns rebuild that number continues to rise. Hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30 with the peak of the season from mid-August to late October. Put together an emergency plan and supply kit now, so you are prepared for extreme weather no matter when it strikes.

Sandy, as a hurricane and a post-tropical cyclone, killed at least people in the United States and 69 more in Canada and the Caribbean. The New York Stock Exchange closed for two consecutive days, the first time this has happened because of weather since At its peak intensity, Hurricane Sandy measured a Category 3 as it made landfall in Cuba.

Sandy was the 18th named storm, 10th hurricane, and second major hurricane of Share Download Embed Links.