GOVERNMENT & POLITICS November 27, 2012, 4:17 pm 54 Comments
Hurricane Sandy vs. Hurricane Katrina
By ANDY NEWMAN
Getty Images
Left: Hurricane Katrina on Aug. 29, 2005.
Right: Hurricane Sandy on Oct. 28, 2012.
Gov Andrew M. Cuomo made headlines and
raised eyebrows Monday when he said that
while Hurricane Katrina was deadlier than
Hurricane Sandy, the latter storm was “more
impactful” over all and “affected many, many
more people and places than Katrina.”
Mr. Cuomo added that Hurricane Sandy had a greater economic impact, destroyed or damaged more
units of housing, affected more businesses and caused more customers to lose power. Here are the
statistics he backed that up with.
Storm Type at
Landfall
Deaths
Buildings
Damaged or
Destroyed
Estimated Cost
Insured Losses
Homes Without
Power
FEMA*
Assistance
People
Displaced
Katrina
Category 3 hurricane, Aug. 29,
2005
1,833.
1.2 million housing units damaged
or destroyed.
Sandy
Post-tropical cyclone, Oct. 29,
2012.
132 in US.
380,000 housing units damaged or
destroyed in NY, NJ or CT
$148 billion in “total
damages/costs.”
$48.7 billion.
About 3 million in at least 8 states.
$71.4 billion in NY, NJ and CT
738,318 applications approved.
465,000 applications filed in N.Y.
and N.J., FEMA said Tuesday.
Officials still compiling data.
Up to 600,000 families homeless
a month after the storm.
$16 billion to $22 billion.
8.51 million in 16 states
Note: It is hard to compare data perfectly, so take the following data with a grain of salt. Also 2005
figures have been adjusted for inflation.
*FEMA= Federal Emergency Management Agency
(Some) Reader Responses:
Tal F Bronx, NY
The only way Hurricane Sandy can be thought of as worse than Hurricane Katrina is if you
consider that the time lost by rich New Yorkers and Northern NJ residents displaced from
lower Manhattan, Hoboken, and Jersey City is worth much more than the (much greater)
time lost by poor 9th Ward NOLA residents. From a strict economics standpoint, Cuomo is
probably right, but not very nice to point out.
Maureen Helbig Croton on Hudson, NY
What difference does it make? Too many people were displaced to matter where it
happened.
I am sure if you were one of the people directly affected by either storm you
would have your own view regarding the storms impact. This is so unnecessary...
Srulik Brooklyn, NY
Where is all the anger about the almost equivalent non-response to Sandy and Katrina? The
people in this Queens neighborhood were no different than those poor people on the rooftops
in New Orleans - alone.
Brendan Brooklyn
Its important to realize that quite a bit of the damage in Katrina was due to the levee failures.
Katrina alone would have been much less costly without that avoidable and tragic
infrastructure shortcoming.
______________________________________
Discussion Questions:
Discuss the following questions with your partner before we share out as a full class.
Which Hurricane do you think has been more impactful in terms of:
a. Social Justice?
b. Economic Effects?
c. Environmental Damage?
Do you strongly agree or disagree with any of the readers?