Connecticut vs Superstorm Sandy
At the start of researching my hometown hazard, I chuckled at the results of my “geohazards in Connecticut” Google search. Funnily enough, the first two results were links to similar Geohazard courses within the UCONN and Eastern Connecticut State University course catalogs; immediately shining some light on the fact that Connecticut is not the most dangerous spot to live in. Connecticut is not significantly affected by many of the geohazards such as earthquakes, tornadoes, landslides, or drought although they do occur from time to time. However, given Connecticut is a coastal New England state, it is not completely safe from natural hazards. The biggest threats to the Constitution State are its tropical and winter storms. These hurricanes and blizzards will cause flooding, widespread damage, and even loss of life every couple of years. Connecticut and its inhabitants are no stranger to such events. In February of 2013 a blizzard wreaked havoc on the state with its massive snowfalls and hurricane level winds; causing 650,000 residents to lose power among other damages. Yet, the worst of one of these storms to occur in my lifetime was not a blizzard but a hurricane. Hurricane Sandy made landfall in late October of 2012; causing the state to go into a state of emergency.
Knowing the super storm was coming, Governor Malloy prepared the state for the worst. He had President Obama approve the claim of statewide emergency and received aid and support from the National Guard. All the major roadways were closed while thousands of residents abandoned their homes and evacuated the shorelines. Even upperclassmen from Fairfield University had to be relocated. The students were moved to a variety of locations including, their landlord’s abodes, campus dorms, or even the university president’s private residence.
After a couple days of preparation, Hurricane Sandy made landfall and crushed Connecticut’s coastal towns. Winds topping out at 85 miles per hour pushed massive swells of waves (10-12ft) and sand into neighborhoods, filling the streets with water and debris. Hundreds of houses were swamped, destroyed, and some even sucked out into the Long Island Sound. Five families had to be rescued from the coast after they stubbornly refused to evacuate earlier. The winds not only affected the coast, but all over the state as well. Thousands of trees were torn from the ground by the winds, crushing houses and taking down power lines all over the place. 625,000 CT residents were left powerless during the storm and aftermath. Sadly, Hurricane Sandy claimed 5 Connecticut lives and caused 360 million dollars worth of damage. 
Hurricane Sandy came and went over a couple of days and the water receded back into the ocean. Clean up and assistance followed for months afterwards. However, the coastal Connecticut towns do not back down after such a storm occurs. They rebuild and re-inhabit their homes on the Connecticut Shore. It seems as though “once the water retreats, so do memories.”
Connor, "2012 in Review: Superstorm Sandy," Jan 2013 https://www.connecticutmag.com/the-connecticut-story/in-review-superstorm-sandy/article_a42227f1-6919-532f-986f-49a9bae14409.html
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “Deaths associated with Hurricane Sandy - October-November 2012.” MMWR. Morbidity and mortality weekly report vol. 62,20 (2013): 393-7.
Despite Hurricane Sandy hitting, is it common for Connecticut to be hit by storms? It sounded like Sandy was the exception to the rule, rather than the rule. Have you seen anything indicating that the storms are only going to get worse/more frequent as the global climate worsens?
ReplyDeleteI am from Massachusetts and remember Hurricane Sandy quite well. Based off of the track, I was surprised to learn how big of an affect it had on Connecticut. For us, Hurricane Irene was a bigger hitter. I am pretty far inland in Massachusetts, but even then I had school cancelled for two days. We avoided the worst of the impacts from that even though the center of the storm tracked legitimately right through my county. We received little wind but a lot of rain, fortunately we aren't too prone to flooding but other areas around us weren't so lucky. I'm curious as to how badly the storm impacted Connecticut.
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