Ramifications Of Hurricane Sandy

Growing up, the end of October typically meant playing soccer and finding a costume for trick-or-treating, but in 2012, my community became saturated and preoccupied by the anticipation of a coming storm. Although northern New Jersey is not normally where hurricanes violently meet land and its inhabitants, the weather pattern became apparent that we were not going to escape this one. On October 29, Hurricane Sandy began to embrace and ravish everything impeding its chosen path. Instead of soccer and candy giving, the days were complete with continued damage from the storm, school cancellations, and gas lines. For my creative project, I decided to investigate the ramifications of Hurricane Sandy to understand and reflect on the occurrences.
Although severe storms of this nature are not normally a threat to the New Jersey-New York area, it is important to grasp what happened in order to produce adequate systems of response to limit the damage.
When beginning to perceive the events of late October 2012, it is worthwhile to start with the facts. There were 147 total fatalities, 72 of those being in the Northeast United States; the U.S. damage was a projected $50 billion; the strongest wind gust was 143 mph in Gran Piedra, Cuba; the maximum snowfall was 36" near Wolf Laurel, North Carolina and Richwood, West Virginia; and the pressure and sustained winds at landfall in Brigantine, New Jersey was measured at 945 MB millibars / 80 mph. In short, the unique mix of wind, snowfall on leaf filled trees, and a relatively unprepared population led to chaos (https://www.tropicalweather.net/hurricane-sandy-facts.html).
After collecting and dissecting the facts, it is time to dig deeper into the processes by which the earth was affected by the storm. In chapter 16 entitled, "Oceans, Coastal Systems, and Wind Processes," it explains the importance of sand dunes in the midst of storms and coastal erosion. During the aftermath of the storm, New Jersey residents along the coast added their Christmas trees to the other trees planted in an effort to reconstruct the depleted dunes. As the trees take root, the hope is that they will collect the windblown sand and accelerate the dune building process. The necessity of protective dunes is seen in the houses and neighborhoods with them in place experienced significantly less damage than those that were more exposed and closer to the ocean; emphasizing that an ocean view is not as attractive in the circumstance of a severe weather pattern. Although the difference in wave erosion due to the defense of sand barriers is evident, real estate agents and residents continue to find them as unattractive in front of their million dollar houses. Even though the decreased view and property value may be temporarily unsettling, the long-term gain of dunes is profitable. So, how are these useful dunes created? Through the work of ocean waves and fluvial processes, sediment is transferred onto deltas and estuaries. Upon the deposition of sand on the shore, it is shaped and reworked overtime by wind processes. Furthermore, the dunes found along the Atlantic Coast move inland as sea level and storm energy rise with climate change. Unfortunately, when there are developments within the quarters of these mounds, dune erosion and sand deposition occur amongst the communities. For example, multiple foot high piles moved onto streets in coastal areas such as Coney Island because of the intensified erosion and movement of sand resulting from the severe wind and fluvial action. As a result, the replenishing of the sand supply by way of establishing new dunes is valuable. However, it is important to note that protective dunes are not impermeable. In Bradly Beach, New Jersey, the storm eroded several miles of restored dunes of about 15 feet in height. Although the dunes did not survive the storm, they did take the majority of the impact, thus, saving many lives and infrastructures. Another helpful preservation mechanism is the planting of vegetation on the dunes to further their absorption and solidity. All in all, the damaging repercussions of storms, specifically beach erosion, can be reduced through the maintaining and constructing of sand dunes even though they hinder one's view and property value (TEXTBOOK).
As the winds and water effected the sand of the beaches, Hurricane Sandy also imposed a negative impact on the fish and wildlife.
In addition to the devastating that Hurricane Irene caused in the same area the year prior, birds and other animals were scattered. The soaring winds catapult birds to different locations, sometimes hundreds of miles from their familiar habitat. While some species of birds were finishing up their migration route to warmer weather, the irresistible winds led birds astray and separated the weaker ones from their flock. In some cases, the birds can recover within a few weeks and find their designated location, but others are not as successful. On the same not, sea mammals that are unable to seek shelter in open water or near the shore, can also be harmed by being blown onto shore. On the other hand, the ocean water can harm other bodies of water and the subsequent wildlife and vegetation. In addition to the water that flowed through Manhattan during Sandy, storm surges created piles of salty ocean water, causing the contamination of fresh water. Coastal marshes and bays quickly transformed into deadly areas with the addition of the foreign salt. Upon the shifting of the delicate balance, creatures and vegetation without high tolerance for the salt addition suffer and decease. Whether it be marsh grasses, minnows, insects, or crabs the previously thriving wildlife is replaced by the killing salt and a disturbed habitat. Along the same lines, the intrusion of salt water does not drain quickly, resulting in the harm and/or killing of bottomland forests, and other coastal trees from the contaminated soil. The reverse can also occur and cause destruction to saltwater environments. Overall, Hurricane Sandy exposed the unpreparedness of my family and the majority of families it effected. To be ready, it is important to stock up on necessities in the case of a power outage, and to be aware of the geological processes taking place that effect not
only humans, but also the environment, habitats, and the earth (http://blog.nwf.org/2012/10/hurricane-sandys-impact-on-fish-and-wildlife/).
Unlike buildings and other infrastructure that can be rebuilt, the storm permanently changed the landscape of the East Coast. Entire blocks of houses along Route 35, near where the storm made landfall, were damaged or, in some cases, completely washed away by the surge of the wind and storm. Additionally, fires erupted throughout the area from ruptured natural gas lines, furthering the destruction. As the fires continued to burn and the shoreline was shrinking due to erosion, The Mantoloking Bridge was also starring down its fate. The $25 million Bridge finished in 2005, was covered with water, sand, and debris forcing it to be closed by officials fearing its stability. Despite the New Jersey shoreline receiving a good deal of the media attention, other areas, including New York City, were sent into a state of chaos and confusion provoked by unprecedented precipitation and the flooding of the streets. At the same time, the regions near the Appalachian mountains were receiving intense snow, nearly eighty million people were out of power, and my family, along with many others, were focused on draining our flooded basements and navigating life without power. Overall, the reduction of sand dunes and coastal land, paired with high winds, flooding, and the destruction of infrastructure effected not only the residents of the communities, but also the earth itself (https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hurricanes/archives/2012/h2012_Sandy.html).