10 Years Later: A Look Back at Superstorm Sandy

Superstorm Sandy 2012

Entire neighborhoods have been rearranged by hurricane-force winds and waves. One-story bungalows, lifted off their sand foundations, came to rest a full block from where they were built, while more recent two-and three-story homes are now see-through structures, their contents – furniture, appliances, even wallboard and flooring – hauntingly absent. Photo by Les Stone/American Red Cross

DO NOT USE THIS PHOTO FOR FUNDRAISING.

The Jet Star coaster, a landmark of Seaside, N.J., for decades, is now a monument of the devastating storm that changed the landscape of the Jersey barrier islands in less than 24 hours. Photo by Les Stone/American Red Cross

The Atlantic Ocean sliced two new channels across Mantoloking, creating three islands from one (and floating this house from the ocean front more than two blocks out into the back bay). Heavy equipment was clearing two to three feet of sand from the main streets Wednesday so trucks could haul in riprap rock to plug the gap and form a temporary bridge. Authorities repeatedly cleared lookers as well as residents from the area because of concerns about leaking natural gas lines. When homeowners are able to return to devastated areas, the Red Cross will be providing clean-up supplies, water and food. A Red Cross disaster worker assessed mile after mile of devastation on Mantoloking, one of the Jersey barrier islands pummeled by Hurricane Sandy. Giant storm waves dumped sand two and three feet deep on roads and inside homes. Photo by Les Stone/American Red Cross

October 24, 2022

Ten years ago, the center of 900-mile-wide Superstorm Sandy came ashore near Atlantic City, New Jersey. The massive storm battered communities across several states, especially hard-hit New Jersey and New York, causing massive destruction in its wake.

Sandy’s winds, rains and storm surge — as well as snowstorms inland — re-shaped coastlines and caused devastating losses. In the U.S., 117 people lost their lives, including 53 in New York and 34 in New Jersey, while hundreds of thousands of people were forced from their homes. Storm damage left 8.5 million people without power across 11 states and sparked a massive fire in Queens, New York, that leveled more than 100 homes.

The American Red Cross was part of the massive response, working with government and community-based partners to give a helping hand to those affected by the storm. People needed help getting back on their feet and the Red Cross provided financial assistance, help with housing-related expenses, assistance planning next steps and grants to support services in areas hardest hit by Sandy.

RED CROSS RESPONSE

Emergency Relief

In response, more than 17,000 Red Cross volunteers and employees mobilized to bring relief, opening shelters and feeding sites that ultimately provided more than 74,000 overnight stays for people forced from their homes and served over 17.5 million meals and snacks. More than 300 emergency response vehicles navigated blocked roads, closed bridges and tunnels, and gas shortages as they worked to bring relief throughout the region, providing food, blankets, health care, emotional support and over 7 million sorely needed relief supplies like cleanup and comfort kits.

Superstorm Sandy 2012

November 2, 2012. The Red Cross dispatched dozens of emergency response vehicles to neighborhoods and shelters all over New Jersey to feed residents impacted by Hurricane Sandy. Two of the feeding teams brought 1,000 meals each to a housing complex for the elderly and disabled in Bayonne, N.J. Photo by Les Stone/American Red Cross

Warm meals being served in Bayonne

Superstorm Sandy 2012

November 4, 2012. Brick, N.J. Many residents of hard-hit areas like this neighborhood in Brick, N.J., that is without electricity, are getting meals, snacks and water from Red Cross feeding trucks while they drag the soaked contents out of their homes. As of Sunday, the Red Cross has served half a million meals and snacks to the victims of Hurricane Sandy across 16 states. Photo by Les Stone/American Red Cross

Red Crossers: Joe Mastrolia, Bud Manson, Jonathan Hammond
Recipient: Residents of neighborhoods hit by Hurricane Sandy are dealing with the effects of wind and flood damage and the loss of electricity

Warm meals being served in Brick

Superstorm Sandy 2012

November 8, 2012, Mahwah, New Jersey. One-year-old Nylah Stawder gets a hug from Red Cross volunteer Brenda Land , who flew in from Dallas to help out with Hurricane Sandy relief efforts, in a Northern New Jersey Shelter that took in victims of Hurricane Sandy from some of the hardest hit areas in NJ including Moonachie. Photo by Talia Frenkel/American Red Cross.

Families find shelter in Mahwah

Recovery Support

The Red Cross Move-In Assistance Program provided case management and referrals for many impacted by the storm. In addition, this program assisted families with rent, rebuilding, repairs, temporary housing, storage and moving costs, appliances and furniture. For thousands of households with uninsured expenses, the program served as a vital bridge to relocate people from hotels to sustainable housing or complete repairs on their Sandy-damaged homes.

A recovery effort of this scale is larger than any one organization. The Red Cross also awarded grants to dozens of nonprofits with specialized expertise and strong local ties. These grants supported a network of skilled, community-based services that could best meet Sandy survivors’ needs for food, housing, financial assistance, mental health support and guidance.

The Red Cross funded food banks in New York and New Jersey communities, helping feed families facing ongoing hardship due to Sandy’s impact. We provided grants to nonprofit partners like Rebuilding Together and Habitat for Humanity to support home repair and rebuilding efforts. The Red Cross also committed $10 million to a New Jersey program that helped low-to-moderate income families with rebuilding costs that weren’t covered by federal reconstruction grants.

Susan's home was heavily damaged and filled with shells from floodwaters. She received Move-in Assistance and help with repairs through a Red Cross funded long-term recovery group.

The Red Cross provided grants to nonprofit partners like Rebuilding Together

Red Cross grants helped support home repair and rebuilding efforts

Additionally, the Red Cross provided more than $14 million to long-term recovery groups in New Jersey, New York and Connecticut to support some of the most complex individual and family recovery needs.

Spending

The Red Cross spent $314 million in support of our Sandy response efforts. Details on how donations were spent, including a full listing of grants, are available at redcross.org/sandy.

Looking Ahead

Ten years after Superstorm Sandy, large disasters like hurricanes, floods, wildfires and extreme heat are regularly impacting communities across the country, resulting in more people displaced, vulnerable and in need of support.

As communities across the country continue to experience more extreme weather events, the Red Cross is providing critical support on a near-constant basis to help families struggling to cope.

Millions of U.S. households are at risk of being forced from their homes with many facing the threat of poverty due to the dramatic increase in billion-dollar disasters, which have nearly doubled in the last five years compared to the previous five years.

We invite you to help prepare yourself and your community for any emergency by taking three simple steps: 1) Get a kit. 2) Make a plan. 3) Be informed. Individuals can download the free Red Cross Emergency app or text GETEMERGENCY to 90999 to get lifesaving preparedness information and weather alerts in the palm of their hand. Visit www.redcross.org/prepare for more tips and information.

Thank You

We are grateful for contributions from donors who responded with compassion to the devastation caused by Sandy; our partner nonprofits that worked alongside us in the best interests of those in need; and our team of dedicated volunteers and staff who translated plans and resources into action.

Thank you. You have made, and continue to make, a difference in countless lives.