Two years after Sandy : New York thinks green
less costly to invest now than to count the cost after the next inevitable environmental disaster .
Sandy led the US government to consider how climate change and such disasters as a direct consequence threaten national security , and the fact that the nation ’ s infrastructure requires hugely costly reinforcements in order to safeguard both the civilian economy and military activities .
American Security Project board member Christine Todd Whitman said : “ Sandy is the second 100- year storm we ’ ve had in 14 months in this part of the country . It tells you that something is changing .”
The US decided it could ill-afford to wait for scientific proof that this change comes as a result of climate change , and must find a new way to shore up vulnerabilities in structures designed for a 20th century climate in
Hurricane Sandy Superstorm Facts
Formed : October 22 , 2012 , Category 3 hurricane on October 25 , 2012
Dissipated : October 31 , 2012 Highest winds : 115 mph ( 185 km / h )
Lowest pressure : 940 mbar ( hPa ); 27.76 inHg
Fatalities : 148 direct , 138 indirect Damage : ≥ $ 68 billion ( 2012 USD )
( Second-costliest hurricane in US history )
Areas affected : Greater Antilles , Bahamas , most of the eastern United States ( especially the coastal Mid- Atlantic States ), Bermuda , Eastern Canada
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