A total of 254 people were killed across the United States, the Caribbean, and Canada, as a result of the storm.
Caribbean Jamaica Jamaica was the first country directly affected by Sandy, which was also the first hurricane to make landfall on the island since
Hurricane Gilbert, which struck the island in
1988. Trees and power lines were snapped and shanty houses were heavily damaged, both from the winds and flooding rains. More than 100 fishermen were stranded in outlying
Pedro Cays off Jamaica's southern coast. Stones falling from a hillside crushed one man to death as he tried to get into his house in a rural village near Kingston. After 6 days another fatality recorded as a 27-year-old man, died due to electrocution, attempting a repair. Most buildings in the eastern portion of the island lost their roofs. and approximately 200,000 were left homeless as a result of four days of ongoing rain from Hurricane Sandy. Heavy damage occurred in
Port-Salut after rivers overflowed their banks. In the capital of
Port-au-Prince, streets were flooded by the heavy rains, and it was reported that "the whole south of the country is underwater". Most of the tents and buildings in the city's sprawling refugee camps and the
Cité Soleil neighborhood were flooded or leaking, a repeat of what happened earlier in the year during the passage of
Hurricane Isaac. Crops were also wiped out by the storm and the country would be making an appeal for emergency aid. Damage in Haiti was estimated at $750 million (2012 USD), making it the costliest tropical cyclone in Haitian history. In the neighboring
Dominican Republic, two people were killed and 30,000 people evacuated. One person was killed in
Juana Díaz, Puerto Rico after being swept away by a swollen river. While moving ashore, the storm produced waves up to and a storm surge that caused extensive coastal flooding. There was widespread damage, particularly to Santiago de Cuba where 132,733 homes were damaged, of which 15,322 were destroyed and 43,426 lost their roof. This makes Sandy the deadliest hurricane to hit Cuba since 2005, when
Hurricane Dennis killed 16 people.
Bahamas A
NOAA automated station at
Settlement Point on
Grand Bahama Island reported sustained winds of and a wind gust of . One person died from falling off his roof while attempting to fix a window shutter in the Lyford Cay area on New Providence. Another died in the Queen's Cove area on Grand Bahama Island where he drowned after the sea surge trapped him in his apartment. Overall damage in the Bahamas was about $700 million, with the most severe damage on
Cat Island and
Exuma where many houses were heavily damaged by wind and storm surge. During a three-day span, the storm produced of rain at the
L.F. Wade International Airport. The strongest winds were recorded on October 29: sustained winds reached and gusts peaked at , which produced scattered minor damage.
United States in
Seaside Heights, New Jersey A total of 24
U.S. states were in some way affected by Sandy. The hurricane caused tens of billions of dollars in damage in the United States, destroyed thousands of homes, left millions without electric service, and caused 71 direct deaths in nine states, including 49 in New York, 10 in New Jersey, 3 in Connecticut, 2 each in Pennsylvania and Maryland, and 1 each in New Hampshire, Virginia and West Virginia. Due to flooding and other storm-related problems,
Amtrak canceled all
Acela Express,
Northeast Regional,
Keystone, and Shuttle services for October 29 and 30. More than 13,000 flights were canceled across the U.S. on October 29, and more than 3,500 were called off October 30. From October 27 through early November 1, airlines canceled a total of 19,729 flights, according to
FlightAware. On October 31, over 6 million customers were still without power in 15 states and the
District of Columbia. The states with the most customers without power were
New Jersey with 2,040,195 customers;
New York with 1,933,147;
Pennsylvania with 852,458; and
Connecticut with 486,927. The
New York Stock Exchange and
Nasdaq reopened on October 31 after a two-day closure for the storm. More than 1,500 FEMA personnel were along the East Coast working to support disaster preparedness and response operations, including search and rescue, situational awareness, communications and logistical support. In addition, 28 teams containing 294 FEMA Corps members were pre-staged to support Sandy responders. Three federal urban search and rescue task forces were positioned in the Mid-Atlantic and ready to deploy as needed.
Direct Relief provided medical supplies to community clinics, non-profit health centers, and other groups in areas affected by Hurricane Sandy, and mapped pharmacies, gas stations, and other facilities that remained in the New York City area despite power outages. On November 2, the
American Red Cross announced they had 4,000 disaster workers across storm damaged areas, with thousands more
en route from other states. Nearly 7,000 people spent the night in emergency shelters across the region.
Hurricane Sandy: Coming Together, a live telethon on November 2 that featured rock and pop stars such as
Bruce Springsteen,
Billy Joel,
Jon Bon Jovi,
Mary J. Blige,
Sting, and
Christina Aguilera, raised around $23 million for
American Red Cross hurricane relief efforts. At the time, the National Hurricane Center ranked Hurricane Sandy the second-costliest U.S. hurricane since 1900 (in constant 2010 dollars), and the sixth-costliest after adjusting for
inflation, population and property values. Scientists at the
University of Utah reported the energy generated by Sandy was equivalent to "small earthquakes between magnitudes 2 and 3".
Southeast Florida In South Florida, Sandy lashed the area with rough surf, strong winds, and brief squalls. Along the coast of
Miami-Dade County, waves reached , but may have been as high as in
Palm Beach County. In the former county, minor pounding occurred on a few coastal roads. Further north in
Broward County,
State Road A1A was inundated with sand and water, causing more than a stretch of the road to be closed for the entire weekend. Additionally, coastal flooding extended inland up to 2 blocks in some locations and a few houses in the area suffered water damage. In
Manalapan, which is located in southern Palm Beach County, several beachfront homes were threatened by erosion. The
Lake Worth Pier was also damaged by rough seas. In Palm Beach County alone, losses reached $14 million. Sandy caused closures and cancellations of some activities at schools in
Palm Beach,
Broward and
Miami-Dade counties. Storm surge from Sandy also caused flooding and
beach erosion along coastal areas in South Florida. Gusty winds also impacted South Florida, peaking at in
Jupiter and
Fowey Rocks Light, which is near
Key Biscayne. In east-central Florida, damage was minor, though the storm left about 1,000 people without power. Airlines at
Miami International Airport canceled more than 20 flights to or from
Jamaica or
the Bahamas, while some airlines flying from
Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport canceled a total of 13 flights to the islands.
Brevard and Volusia Counties schools canceled all extracurricular activities for October 26, including football. Two
panther kittens escaped from the White Oak Conservation Center in Nassau County after the hurricane swept a tree into the fence of their enclosure; they were missing for 24 hours before being found in good health.
North Carolina '', is shown nearly submerged during Hurricane Sandy in the Atlantic Ocean approximately southeast of Hatteras, North Carolina on Monday, October 29, 2012. On October 28, Governor
Bev Perdue declared a state of emergency in 24 western counties, due to snow and strong winds.
North Carolina was spared from major damage for the most part (except at the immediate coastline), though winds, rain, and mountain snow affected the state through October 30.
Ocracoke and
Highway 12 on
Hatteras Island were flooded with up to of water, closing part of the highway, while 20 people on a fishing trip were stranded on
Portsmouth Island. There were three Hurricane Sandy-related deaths in the state. On October 29, the
Coast Guard responded to a distress call from
Bounty, which was built for the 1962 movie
Mutiny on the Bounty. It was taking on water about southeast of
Cape Hatteras. Sixteen people were on board. The Coast Guard said the 16 people abandoned ship and got into two lifeboats, wearing survival suits and life jackets. The ship sank after the crew got off. The Coast Guard rescued 14 crew members; another was found hours later but was unresponsive and later died. The search for the captain, Robin Walbridge, was suspended on November 1, after efforts lasting more than 90 hours and covering approximately 12,000
square nautical miles (41,100 km2).
Mid-Atlantic Virginia on
Assateague Island On October 29, snow was falling in parts of the state. The storm resulted in
Blacksburg recording its first measurable October snowfall in half a century. Gov.
Bob McDonnell announced on October 30 that Virginia had been "spared a significant event", but cited concerns about rivers cresting and consequent flooding of major arteries. Virginia was awarded a federal disaster declaration, with Gov. McDonnell saying he was "delighted" that President Barack Obama and FEMA were on it immediately. At Sandy's peak, more than 180,000 customers were without power, most of whom were located in
Northern Virginia. There were three Hurricane Sandy-related fatalities in the state. and schools were closed for two days.
MARC train and
Virginia Railway Express were closed on October 30, and
Metro rail and bus service were on Sunday schedule, opening at 2 p.m., until the system closes. At least of a fishing pier in
Ocean City was destroyed. Governor Martin O'Malley said the pier was "half-gone". Due to high winds, the
Chesapeake Bay Bridge and the
Millard E. Tydings Memorial Bridge on
I-95 were closed. During the storm, the Mayor of
Salisbury instituted a Civil Emergency and a curfew.
Interstate 68 in far western Maryland and northern
West Virginia closed due to heavy snow, stranding multiple vehicles and requiring assistance from the
National Guard.
Redhouse, Maryland received of snow and
Alpine Lake, West Virginia received . Workers in
Howard County tried to stop a sewage overflow caused by a power outage on October 30. Raw sewage spilled at a rate of 2 million gallons per hour. It was unclear how much sewage had flowed into the
Little Patuxent River. Over 311,000 people were left without power as a result of the storm. Following the impact in Delaware, President Barack Obama declared the entire state a
federal disaster area, providing money and agencies for disaster relief in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.
New Jersey A piece of the Atlantic City Boardwalk washed away. Half the city of
Hoboken flooded; the city of 50,000 had to evacuate two of its fire stations, the EMS headquarters, and the hospital. With the city cut off from area hospitals and fire suppression mutual aid, the city's Mayor asked for
National Guard help. Baratta said the three towns had been "devastated" by the flood of water. At the peak of the storm, more than 2,600,000 customers were without power. Damage in the state was estimated at $36.8 billion.
Pennsylvania Philadelphia Mayor
Michael Nutter said the city would have no mass transit operations on any lines October 30. The highways reopened at 4 a.m. on October 30. The highest wind gust in the state's history was recorded in
Allentown on late on October 29, where an wind gust occurred. More than 1.2 million were left without power.
New York satellite imagery showing the power outages in New York and New Jersey on November 1 compared to October 21. .
New York governor Andrew Cuomo called
National Guard members to help in the state. Storm impacts in
Upstate New York were much more limited than in
New York City; there was some flooding and a few downed trees.
Rochester area utilities reported slightly fewer than 19,000 customers without power, in seven counties. In the state as a whole, however, more than 2,000,000 customers were without power at the peak of the storm. The
City University of New York and
New York University canceled all classes and campus activities for October 30. The
New York Stock Exchange was closed for trading for two days, the first weather closure of the exchange since 1985. It was also the first two-day weather closure since the
Great Blizzard of 1888. The East River overflowed its banks, flooding large sections of
Lower Manhattan.
Battery Park had a water surge of 13.88 ft. Seven subway tunnels under the
East River were flooded. The
Metropolitan Transportation Authority said that the destruction caused by the storm was the worst disaster in the 108-year history of the New York City subway system. Sea water flooded the
Ground Zero construction site including the
National September 11 Memorial and Museum. Over 10 billion gallons of raw and partially treated sewage were released by the storm, 94% of which went into waters in and around New York and New Jersey. More than 200 wastewater treatment plants and over 80 drinking water facilities along the coast of the Tri-State area had been damaged beyond function, with a statement from Governor Cuomo that damage in New York treatment plants alone could reach $1.1 billion. The resulting damage caused more than 10 billion gallons of raw sewage to be released into New York and New Jersey water sources. This contamination resulted in the shutting down of several drinking-water facilities. The contamination caused by this incident resulted in the EPA issuing a warning that all individuals should avoid coming into contact with the water in Newark Bay and New York Harbor, due to the increased presence of fecal coliform, a bacteria that is associated with human waste. Similar warnings were issued for water sources in both the Westchester and Yonkers areas. In addition, a four-story Chelsea building's facade crumbled and collapsed, leaving the interior on full display; however, no one was hurt by the falling masonry. The Atlantic Ocean storm surge also caused considerable flood damage to homes, buildings, roadways, boardwalks and mass transit facilities in low-lying coastal areas of the outer boroughs of
Queens,
Brooklyn and
Staten Island. After receiving many complaints that holding the marathon would divert needed resources, Mayor Bloomberg announced late afternoon November 2 that the
New York City Marathon had been canceled. The event was to take place on Sunday, November 4. Marathon officials said that they did not plan to reschedule. Gas shortages throughout the region led to an effort by the U.S. federal government to bring in gasoline and set up mobile truck distribution at which people could receive up to 10 gallons of gas, free of charge. This caused lines of up to 20 blocks long and was quickly suspended. On Thursday, November 8, Mayor Bloomberg announced
odd-even rationing of gasoline would be in effect beginning November 9 until further notice. On November 26, Governor Cuomo called Sandy "more impactful" than Hurricane Katrina, and estimated costs to New York at $42 billion. Approximately 100,000 residences on Long Island were destroyed or severely damaged, including 2,000 that were rendered uninhabitable. There were 53 Hurricane Sandy-related deaths in the state of New York. In 2016, the hurricane was determined to have been the worst to strike the New York City area since at least 1700.
New England Wind gusts to 83 mph were recorded on outer
Cape Cod and
Buzzards Bay. Nearly 300,000 customers were without power in Massachusetts, Over 100,000 customers lost power in Rhode Island. Most of the damage was along the coastline, where some communities were flooded.
Mount Washington, New Hampshire saw the strongest measured wind gust from the storm at 140 mph. Nearly 142,000 customers lost power in the state.
Appalachia and Midwest West Virginia Sandy's rain became snow in the Appalachian Mountains, leading to blizzard conditions in some areas, especially West Virginia, There was of snowfall in 28 of
West Virginia's 55 counties. The highest snowfall accumulation was near
Richwood. and in
Davis,
Flat Top, and
Huttonsville. By the morning of October 31, there were still 36 roads closed due to downed trees, powerlines, and snow in the road. Overall, there were seven fatalities related to Hurricane Sandy and its remnants in West Virginia, including John Rose Sr., the Republican candidate for the state's 47th district in the state legislature, who was killed in the aftermath of the storm by a falling tree limb broken off by the heavy snowfall.
Governor Earl Ray Tomblin asked President Obama for a federal disaster declaration, and on October 30, President Obama approved a state of emergency declaration for the state.
Ohio Wind gusts at
Cleveland Burke Lakefront Airport were reported at . On October 30, hundreds of school districts canceled or delayed school across the state with at least 250,000 homes and businesses without power.
Michigan The US Department of Energy reported that more than 120,000 customers lost power in Michigan as a result of the storm. Winter warnings in
Harlan,
Letcher, and
Pike County were put into effect until October 31.
Tennessee Mount Le Conte, Tennessee, in
Great Smoky Mountains National Park, was blanketed with of snow, an October record.
Canada The remnants of Sandy produced high winds along
Lake Huron and
Georgian Bay, where gusts were measured at . A gust was measured on top of the
Bluewater Bridge. One woman died after being hit by a piece of flying debris in
Toronto. and a Bluewater Power worker was electrocuted in Sarnia while working to restore power. Around 49,000 homes and businesses lost power in Quebec during the storm, with nearly 40,000 of those in the
Laurentides region of the province, as well as more than 4,000 customers in the
Eastern Townships and 1,700 customers in
Montreal. Hundreds of flights were canceled. Around 14,000 customers in
Nova Scotia lost power during the height of the storm. The Insurance Bureau of Canada's preliminary damage estimate was over $100 million for the nation. == Aftermath ==