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Revisiting Superstorm Sandy: One Year Later In Photos

By Meredith Rizzo
Published October 29, 2013 at 1:44 PM EDT
Firefighters (left) walk the streets of Long Beach, N.Y., after Superstorm Sandy, on Oct. 31, 2012. A man crosses the street about a year later, on Oct. 22.
Andrew Burton
/
Getty Images
Firefighters (left) walk the streets of Long Beach, N.Y., after Superstorm Sandy, on Oct. 31, 2012. A man crosses the street about a year later, on Oct. 22.

It's been a year since Superstorm Sandy tore up the Atlantic coast — one of the biggest and most expensive hurricanes in the region's history. The images at the time were remarkable: rows of homes washed from their foundations; New York City's Hugh Carey Tunnel completely flooded; a boat washed up onto a New Jersey front yard — its bow piercing straight through the front door.

But a lot can change in a year — and equally remarkable are these images that show it. A few photographers with the agency Getty Images revisited some sites to see what they look like now. Cars are back on the Carey Tunnel, yards have been cleaned, and homes are sprouting up again — some now on stilts.

In pairs, the photos show how destructive Sandy was: Where the historic Princess Cottage, built in 1855, once stood is now an empty field in Union Beach, N.J. The photos also show how life goes on: Many residents are continuing the slow process of rebuilding their homes and lives.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

The iconic Princess Cottage, built in 1855, barely remains standing on Nov. 21, 2012, in Union Beach, N.J., after being ravaged by flooding caused by Superstorm Sandy.
1 of 10  — The iconic Princess Cottage, built in 1855, barely remains standing on Nov. 21, 2012, in Union Beach, N.J., after being ravaged by flooding caused by Superstorm Sandy.
The iconic Princess Cottage, built in 1855, barely remains standing on Nov. 21, 2012, in Union Beach, N.J., after being ravaged by flooding caused by Superstorm Sandy.
Mario Tama / Getty Images
The spot where the Princess Cottage used to stand, Oct. 22, 2013.
2 of 10  — The spot where the Princess Cottage used to stand, Oct. 22, 2013.
The spot where the Princess Cottage used to stand, Oct. 22, 2013.
Andrew Burton / Getty Images
The Monmouth Beach pavilion is surrounded by debris on Nov. 8, 2012, in Monmouth, N.J.
3 of 10  — The Monmouth Beach pavilion is surrounded by debris on Nov. 8, 2012, in Monmouth, N.J.
The Monmouth Beach pavilion is surrounded by debris on Nov. 8, 2012, in Monmouth, N.J.
Allison Joyce / Getty Images
The Monmouth Beach pavilion on Oct. 22, 2013.
4 of 10  — The Monmouth Beach pavilion on Oct. 22, 2013.
The Monmouth Beach pavilion on Oct. 22, 2013.
Andrew Burton / Getty Images
The remains of burned homes are surrounded by water in the Breezy Point neighborhood of Queens, N.Y., Oct. 31, 2012.
5 of 10  — The remains of burned homes are surrounded by water in the Breezy Point neighborhood of Queens, N.Y., Oct. 31, 2012.
The remains of burned homes are surrounded by water in the Breezy Point neighborhood of Queens, N.Y., Oct. 31, 2012.
Mario Tama / Getty Images
Newly built homes and vacant lots in Queens, 2013.
6 of 10  — Newly built homes and vacant lots in Queens, 2013.
Newly built homes and vacant lots in Queens, 2013.
Andrew Burton / Getty Images
Rising water caused by Sandy rushes into New York City's Hugh L. Carey Tunnel (previously known as the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel), Oct. 29, 2012.
7 of 10  — Rising water caused by Sandy rushes into New York City's Hugh L. Carey Tunnel (previously known as the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel), Oct. 29, 2012.
Rising water caused by Sandy rushes into New York City's Hugh L. Carey Tunnel (previously known as the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel), Oct. 29, 2012.
Andrew Burton / Getty Images
Cars are back on the roads in October 2013.
8 of 10  — Cars are back on the roads in October 2013.
Cars are back on the roads in October 2013.
Andrew Burton / Getty Images
Sand and debris surround homes in Seaside Heights, N.J., Oct. 31, 2012.
9 of 10  — Sand and debris surround homes in Seaside Heights, N.J., Oct. 31, 2012.
Sand and debris surround homes in Seaside Heights, N.J., Oct. 31, 2012.
Mario Tama / Getty Images
Homes in Seaside Heights, N.J., 2013.
10 of 10  — Homes in Seaside Heights, N.J., 2013.
Homes in Seaside Heights, N.J., 2013.
Andrew Burton / Getty Images

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Meredith Rizzo
Meredith Rizzo is a visuals editor and art director on NPR's Science desk. She produces multimedia stories that illuminate science topics through visual reporting, animation, illustration, photography and video. In her time on the Science desk, she's reported from Hong Kong during the early days of the pandemic, photographed the experiences of the first patient to receive an experimental CRISPR treatment for sickle cell disease and covered post-wildfire issues from Australia to California. In 2021, she worked with a team on NPR's Joy Generator, a randomized ideas machine for ways to tap into positive emotions following a year of life in the pandemic. In 2019, she photographed, reported and produced another interactive visual guide exploring how the shape and size of many common grocery store plastics affect their recyclability.
See stories by Meredith Rizzo