Publication Date October 30, 2012 | New York Times

After the Devastation, a Daunting Recovery

United States
Hurricane Sandy debris. Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters, Flickr
Hurricane Sandy debris. Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters, Flickr

The New York region began the daunting process on Tuesday of rebuilding in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy 2012, a storm that remade the landscape and rewrote the record books as it left behind a tableau of damage, destruction and grief. The toll — in lives disrupted or lost and communities washed out — was staggering. A rampaging fire reduced more than 100 houses to ash in Breezy Point, Queens. Explosions and downed power lines left the lower part of Manhattan and 90 percent of Long Island in the dark. The New York City subway system — a lifeline for millions — was paralyzed by flooded tunnels and was expect to remain silent for days.