Now that the waters are receding, and while the recovery work progresses, thought I’d share an interesting article I came across on the many and varied records that Hurricane Sandy broke, including:

 1. Strongest Hurricane to Make Landfall North of Cape Hatteras

With a record low barometric pressure of 27.76, Sandy was the strongest hurricane north of Cape Hatteras to ever make landfall. Although Hurricane Gladys of 1977 holds the overall record for the region at 27.73, she remained off the U.S. coast.

 2. Largest Atlantic Hurricane on Record

She was a big girl. Sandy made the record books as the largest hurricane to have formed in the Atlantic Basin, according to the National Hurricane Center, reaching a truly impressive gale diameter of 1,000 miles.

 3. Highest Storm Surge

The storm surge for New York City was expected to be around 8-10 feet, yet Sandy’s strength and unusual angle worked to create a surge far surpassing estimates. The surge level at Battery Park was a whopping 13.88 feet at 9:24 p.m. Monday, out-surging Donna’s efforts of 10.02 feet in 1960.

There are 9 more here, although some of the categories (most photoshopped disaster photos, anyone?) are not as impressive as others.

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Want to Help?

Want to give to help the victims of Sandy’s massive impact? The American Red Cross is accepting monetary donations in any amount through their website.

However, they do not accept donated goods directly, as noted here:

The American Red Cross does not accept or solicit small quantities of individual donations of items for emergency relief purposes. Items such as collections of food, used clothing, and shoes often must be cleaned, sorted, and repackaged which impedes the valuable resources of money, time, and personnel that are needed for other aspects of our relief operation.

The Red Cross, in partnership with other agencies, suggests that the best use for those types of donations is to support needy agencies within donors’ local communities.

The best way to help a disaster victim is through a financial donation to the Red Cross. Financial contributions allow the Red Cross to purchase exactly what is needed for the disaster relief operation. Monetary donations also enable the Red Cross to purchase relief supplies close to the disaster site which avoids delays and transportation costs in getting basic necessities to disaster victims. Because the affected area has generally experienced significant economic loss, purchasing relief supplies in or close to the disaster site also helps to stimulate the weakened local economy.

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While the impact of Sandy will be felt for some time, the sheer size of the “perfect storm” is something to behold!

Photo: (c) NASA Goddard Space Flight Center via CC.