A flooded parking lot full of floating yellow cabs in Hoboken, N.J. Sea water flooding the Ground Zero construction site in New York.
Just a few of the iconic images the devastation left by Sandy across the U.S. east coast in October. One of the worst weather events in recent U.S. history, Sandy killed at least 130 people across 10 states (including one death in Canada), sent coastal residents fleeing, shut down mass transit, schools and financial markets. And all in the midst of a presidential campaign.
The impact of Sandy hit New York City, its suburbs, and Long Island the hardest. At least 53 people died in New York as a result of the super storm, and economic losses across the state were estimated to be at least US$18 billion.
Sandy is expected to ultimately be the second-costliest catastrophe in United States history, with insured loss estimates as high as $25 billion. The costliest catastrophe was hurricane Katrina in 2005.
To help victims affected by the storm, rock stars aligned to put on a benefit concert in New York on Dec. 12. The likes of The Who, Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, and the Rolling Stones raised at least US$50 million -- which the Robin Hood Foundation is beginning to distribute.
But of course, it wasn't just the United States' eastern coast that was hit. The UN said in November that 1.5 million people in Haiti are still at risk of not having enough food in 2013 due to the destruction caused by Sandy and other natural disasters. At least 54 people died in Haiti after Sandy struck the impoverished Caribbean nation. The Haitian government has appealed for an addition US$39 million so it can keep distributing food, repair farmland and for flood control.
