Superstorm Sandy: A look back at the impact 10 years ago at the Jersey shore

Sandy is one of the costliest storms in U.S. history, with $36.8 billion in damage in New Jersey and $32.8 billion in New York.

Tuesday, October 25, 2022

Superstorm Sandy: A look back at the impact 10 years ago

Even 10 years after Superstorm Sandy struck the Jersey shore, residents still remember it like it was yesterday.

ATLANTIC CITY, New Jersey (WPVI) -- Even 10 years after Superstorm Sandy struck the Jersey shore, residents still remember it like it was yesterday.

The massive storm struck the East Coast on October 29, 2012.

"No lights were coming from the casinos. The city was just dark," said Francine Miller of Atlantic City. "So it was calm. But there was a lot of devastation. A lot of homes were destroyed."

Miller thought about leaving Atlantic City after that but chose to stay.

She received state funding to raise her house 15 feet two years after Sandy.

But first, she had to file a claim through her insurance to fix the initial flood damage.

"The damage was in the crawl space and the electrical and floorboards underneath," said Miller.

Atlantic City's emergency management coordinator, Scott Evans, says a few dozen homes are still left empty after Sandy.

But technology has come a long way in the past 10 years, including the use of drones.

2017: Marking 5 years since Superstorm Sandy

Watch the report from Nora Muchanic on Action News at 4 p.m. on October 27, 2017.

"Had we had this technology during Superstorm Sandy we would've been able to get up into the air a lot quicker, clear areas, and deem areas safe to get emergency responders back in to get their work done before we let the public back in," said Evans.

On Tuesday in Egg Harbor Township, a major flood was simulated in the "Thunder Room" at the National Aerospace Research & Technology Park.

New Jersey American Water launched drones in several locations to show the FAA, New Jersey State Police and other agencies how they can inspect facilities after a disaster from miles away.

"As a utility, it's water, it's gas, it's electric," said Chris Kahn, director of unmanned aerial systems for New Jersey American Water. "You need all those things running during an emergency."

"Post-Ida we did dozens and dozens of flights inspecting our bridges that were flooded out where we have water mains crossing underneath these bridges to inspect," explained Kahn. "Is there any damage? Did trees hit the water main?"

In Atlantic City, officials say infrastructure improvements are still in the works to protect against future storms.

Atlantic City's mayor and grant consultant will speak about the anniversary on Thursday at the city's sea wall.

Sandy, as both a hurricane and a superstorm, is blamed for 182 deaths, including 48 in New York and 12 in New Jersey. More than 70 people were killed in the Caribbean.

It's one of the costliest storms in U.S. history, with $36.8 billion in damage in New Jersey and $32.8 billion in New York.

Sandy became a tropical storm in the Caribbean Sea on Oct. 23 and struck Jamaica as a Category 1 storm a day later.

It then rapidly intensified into a Category 3 before coming ashore as a Category 2 in Cuba. As it moved north in the Atlantic, the storm became an extratropical cyclone before hitting Brigantine, New Jersey, late on Oct. 29.

The former hurricane merged with other systems to create a meteorological hybrid storm that hit the nation's most populous metro area.

Here's a look at some of our Action News coverage from 2012:

Atlantic City