It all started with a low-pressure wave in the tropical part of the North Atlantic on October 19. However, it quickly strengthened as it moved northward and grew into a tropical depression near Nicaragua in the Caribbean Sea (Gibbens, 2019). On October 24, 80 mile-per-hour winds caused landfall in Jamaica. The next day, they rose to 110 miles per hour, passing over Cuba (Rafferty, 2021). Traveling northward, Sandy lowered its intensity near the Bahamas. Yet, it grew into a hurricane again when approaching the coastline of the U.S. A quarter of the continental U.S. experienced the impact of the storm and its remains. The abnormal strength and development of the storm are associated with the negative mode of the North Atlantic Oscillation. Instead of being caught up in the eastward flow, it passed over eastern North America (Rafferty, 2021). The damage from Hurricane Sandy was particularly serious due to the combination of abnormal conditions. At the time, the press named it a Frankenstorm. Indeed, Sandy did not fit any classification. Therefore, it was also called a superstorm due to the absence of the normal hurricane structure. This is described in more detail in the student blog at write my personal statement service.
Flooding caused by the storm paralyzed the distressed regions. It affected water supply, electricity, transport system, and business. According to estimations, Hurricane Sandy caused $70 billion in damage. It knocked out electricity for several millions of people in 21 states. In some areas, it was restored in a day, while others spent weeks without power. The loss of electricity caused the shutdown of heating systems and life support in hospitals (Manuel, 2013). Besides, elderly people who lived in high-rise apartments were trapped due to their physical inability to go down without elevators. A lot of them could not get medication for days or even weeks. As a result of the storm, people were left without public health essentials. Hurricane Sandy also caused major economic loss and property damage. The natural disaster affected up to 100,000 businesses in the U.S. A lot of them struggled to reopen, while some small companies did not recover at all. They lost sales and revenues. Only in New Jersey losses for businesses reached $8.3 billion (Zabell, 2013). A lot of business owners did not even have insurance that would cover flood damage. This made it even more complicated and costly for them to restore assets and their economic activity. Hurricane Sandy left many people homeless. It hit buildings along the East Coast, causing the most damage in the coastal region of New Jersey and Staten Island. Some of them were not rebuilt years after the disaster. A lot of people had to move either temporarily or relocate entirely. It affected about 600,000 households only in New York and New Jersey (Gibbens, 2019). This makes Sandy one of the most expensive storms in the history of the country.
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The environmental effects of the disaster were also massive. It worsened the quality of outdoor water and air due to flooding events. Sediment and debris from damaged buildings caused ambient air pollution (Manuel, 2013). The storm also affected crops. Haiti lost up to 70 percent of crops in some regions of the country. The loss of electricity, hydrocarbons from submerged vehicles, and damage to sewage treatment systems in the U.S. led to water contamination. Moreover, bacteria, pesticides, and various contaminants flushed into rivers. This caused detrimental effects on wildlife and degradation of ecosystems. One of the reasons for such extensive damage is the low level of preparedness across countries. Some infrastructure was outdated, which did not allow to mitigate the impact of the storm. Besides, emergency preparedness plans were ineffective, leaving the region vulnerable (Gibbens, 2019). However, the most dangerous contributing factor for extreme weather events like Hurricane Sandy is climate change. It requires immediate action to protect the environment and human health.
Hurricane Sandy is one of the largest and costliest storms in history. Although it was the result of abnormal conditions, it warns people that certain regions are extremely vulnerable to natural disasters. It is a major call to action that requires states to develop disaster plans and rebuild infrastructure. Additionally, due to climate change and global warming, there is an increased risk that such disasters like Hurricane Sandy will become more frequent and even more potent. Therefore, people need to rethink climate action plans to reduce emissions and control consumption. Otherwise, extreme weather events will be more and more common. We want to remind you, if you do not have time to write an essay, you can hire cheap essay writers on EssayHub. Who will write any essay for you for the maximum grade.
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