Cameron Wilhelm
Friday, November 30, 2012
Geography 1700
Simmons
Rain and Rage! The Uniqueness of Hurricane Sandy
What lies among the horizon? What sort of trials and tribulations face mankind? The possibilities seem endless in both variety and magnitude. Our ability to predict dangers against mankind is limited. Although we can predict and have a sense of foresight in relation to dangers such as wars and various economic and social issues, there is sadly far less we can do to prepare and predict the occurrence of natural hazards. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tornadoes, and flooding, along with many other hazards, offer very little warning and forecasting opportunities.
Even with a warning or alert, there is often very little time for evacuation, leaving people exposed to the relentless path of destruction.
However there is one hazard that is a little bit different; one that is often more powerful and deadly than others. This is known as the feared, the deadly, Tropical Storm System. They have many names, Hurricanes, Cyclones, Typhoons, However there danger and power is imminent in a similar in every occurrence. These storm systems do not develop within in minutes, or hours. They often take days and even weeks to grow and reach their full power.
These storms systems are a one of the most common natural disasters that we face; they generally occur within the Hurricane season of June through November in the United States.
Their names often go down in history and offer spine chilling memories.

In recent history none have been as fierce, and perhaps unique, as Hurricane Sandy.
Don’t let the name fool you, she was no force to be reckoned with. Hurricane Sandy was a Tropical Cyclone that made landfall in parts of the Caribbean Islands, and the Northeastern
United States in October 2012. The storm system also affected parts of Southeastern and
Midwestern states as well as parts of Eastern Canada. Prior to making landfall, hurricane-force winds (speeds greater than 74mph) and tropical storm-force winds (speeds greater than 39-
73mph) extended 175 miles and 485 miles from the center of the storm and on to the Eastern coast of the United States. As the storm made landfall, there was a major storm surge along coastal areas on its northern side caused by onshore hurricane-force winds.
In the United States, the Hurricane destroyed thousands of homes and left millions of homes without power. The death toll stacked to at least 131 people killed in eight different states, 53 in New York, 37 in New Jersey, 13 in Pennsylvania, 11 in Maryland, six in West
Virginia, five in Connecticut and three in both Virginia and North Carolina. Sandy was the deadliest hurricane to hit the United States since Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and Hurricane
Diane in 1955. The cost of Sandy was an estimated $63 billion in the United States alone, with
24 states being affected.
The size of Hurricane Sandy was truly phenomenal – something that can only be fully appreciated when looking at the storm on a satellite picture. The storm became the largest Atlantic hurricane on record with winds spanning 1,100 miles. That's second only to
2001's Olga in terms of the size of wind field of a storm.

The path of Hurricane Sandy was considered abnormal in several ways. Typically, hurricanes that hit the east coast of the US are steered farther North on the Atlantic Ocean. This is due to west to east movement of the jet stream. Hurricane Sandy fell during a jet stream that was directed on more of a North to South track. An unusually high area of high pressure near the
North East part of the US effectively blocked Sandy from moving further into the Atlantic. This caused the storm to move left into the East Coast of the United States. Not only was this an unusual path for a hurricane to take, it is a path that put nearly 60 million people within in its path.
Several other factors also contributed to the sever strength and size of Sandy. As the storm made landfall, there was a strong storm surge along coastal areas near the Northern side caused by strong winds on the shore pushing water onto the coast. Additional water was also pushed onto the coast due to the high tides that occurred from a full moon. These factors combined to cause major coastal flooding – especially for low-lying areas. Battery Park, New
York City had storm surges reaching a record-breaking 14ft, sending torrents of water into lower
Manhattan.
One of the high points of a tropical storm system is the ability to forecast the storm before it makes landfall. Satellite images and technology can be used to measure the power of a storm and make accurate estimations of the hurricanes potential. Perhaps the greatest advantage of being able to forecast these tropical storm systems is the ability to give a timely and effective warning to people that live in the path of the storm. This gives people a chance to board up their windows, gather their belongings, and drive out of the city to a place that is safe. After watching and reading the news, I felt that the areas that were in the path of the storm system handled the

evacuation process very well. There were many pictures and articles about the evacuation efforts, showing long lines of vehicles making their way out of the city.
Regardless of how well our technology and warning systems become, they cannot change human nature. Humans will always overestimate their ability to withstand the potential impacts of these storms and neglect proper preparation and mitigation. This is because we generally do not fully understand the circumstances that these hazards can produce. We cannot always fully anticipate and predict their dangers.
Regardless of how tragic and powerful these events can be, they are unavoidable and something that we as Earth’s inhabitants must face. The storms are unforgiving and seem to have no rhyme or reason behind them. Many people look to find meaning and significance in their occurrence. These hazards are actually just natural earth processes; they only become hazards when humans get in their way. We put ourselves in these situations by choosing to live in these areas that are exposed to these dangerous storm systems as well as other hazardous processes. Although most tropical storm systems only occur between 5 and 22 degrees latitude, any place on Earth has the possibility of receiving some sort of hazardous event. The only real solution is to understand their risks, prepare, mitigate, and learn as much as we can – improving on our mistakes so that we will be more prepared if, or when, disaster comes knocking again.

Works Cited http://blogs.channel4.com/liam-dutton-on-weather/hurricane-sandys-impacts-great/2331 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Sandy http://ntlapp.nt.gov.au/tracy/basic/Met/location.html http://www.foxnews.com/science/2012/10/29/why-is-hurricane-sandy-so-big/