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Superstorm Sandy

A blend of a downgraded hurricane mixed with two other storms, Superstorm Sandy created an unprecedented weather event that left many dead and millions without power on the East Coast. The Washington Times offers the latest news, photos and videos of the wind, snow, rain and flooding as residents begin to clean up and rebuild in the aftermath of the 2012 Frankenstorm.

National Guardsmen Spc. Ivan Pimentel (left) and Pfc. Harry Cadet walk past a house on the beach in the Rockaways on New York’s Long Island on Thursday that was ravaged by Superstorm Sandy in October. They were going door-to-door to determine if residents needed portable heaters or other items in the wake of Sandy. (Associated Press)

Sandy relief bill eats up taxes on the rich

By Stephen Dinan - The Washington Times

Congress is poised to clear the final $50 billion chunk of emergency aid for Superstorm Sandy relief Monday — and in one vote, it will have used up all the new tax money President Obama won by raising rates on the wealthy in the "fiscal cliff" deal. Published January 28, 2013

Recent Stories

Jersey shore eyes record-setting summer post Sandy

- Associated Press

New Jersey used a record-breaking gesture Friday to celebrate its recovery from a record-setting storm, proclaiming to the nation that the Jersey shore is back in business following Superstorm Sandy.

Sandy criticism prompts change in storm warnings

- Associated Press

Responding to criticism after Superstorm Sandy, the National Hurricane Center said Thursday it would change the way it warns people about tropical storms that morph into something else.

Congress OKs $50B in Sandy aid

- The Washington Times

Congress on Monday cleared $50 billion in additional Superstorm Sandy relief and reconstruction aid for the Northeast, sending it to President Obama for his signature and bringing the total tab for taxpayers from the storm to $60 billion.

Superstorm Sandy victims scoff at FEMA's 'Rapid Repairs'

- The Washington Times

Federal Emergency Management Agency officials are touting a first-of-its-kind "Rapid Repairs" program as speeding aid to Superstorm Sandy victims in New York City. But ask a resident still awaiting help, and the response, more often than not, is: Repairs? What repairs?

House votes to tack Sandy aid onto deficit

- The Washington Times

The House voted Tuesday against cutting the budget to pay for Superstorm Sandy relief spending, in a showdown that underscored the deep consensus in Congress for deficit spending when a natural disaster strikes.

Critics hit Sandy storm disaster aid add-ons

- The Washington Times

A $51 billion GOP-crafted Superstorm Sandy relief package scheduled to hit the House floor Tuesday includes billions of dollars in non-emergency spending — angering budget hawks, government-watchdog groups and many Republicans who say the bill is the latest example of out-of-whack government priorities.

Sandy relief package swells aid for past disasters

- Associated Press

Conservatives and watchdog groups are mounting a "not-so-fast" campaign against a $50.7 billion Superstorm Sandy aid package that Northeastern governors and lawmakers hope to push through the House this coming week.

Fishing towns struggling after Superstorm Sandy

- Associated Press

While Superstorm Sandy did highly visible damage to homes, boardwalks and roads, it also walloped the Northeastern fishing industry, whose workers are hoping for a small piece of any future disaster assistance that Congress might approve.

Superstorm Sandy teaches N.J. Gov. Christie to be more empathetic

- Associated Press

In 2010, Gov. Chris Christie underestimated the first major storm of his administration by flying to Disney World hours before snow crippled New Jersey. A year later, he overplayed Tropical Storm Irene with the now-infamous order, "Get the hell off the beach."

N.Y. homes for elderly under scrutiny after Sandy

- Associated Press

A nursing home and an assisted living facility are under scrutiny by state officials and an advocacy group after The Associated Press disclosed that hundreds of elderly and disabled people forced to evacuate by Superstorm Sandy were still sleeping on cots in cramped and sometimes oppressive conditions almost two months later.

Sandy victims prepare for subdued Thanksgiving

- Associated Press

The things that Marge Gatti once cherished are lying on what's left of her deck, spattered in mud, like a yard sale gone awry. The stuff is ruined, just like her sodden Staten Island home, which was ravaged by Superstorm Sandy's floodwaters and will be demolished in the coming weeks. Of all things material, Gatti has nothing. And yet, on Thanksgiving Day, she will be counting her blessings.

Madonna: 'Gangnam Style' rapper joins pop singer onstage at MSG

- Associated Press

Madonna has gone "Gangnam Style." Korean pop star PSY joined the pop icon Tuesday night during her second show this week at Madison Square Garden. They danced to his pop culture anthem "Gangnam Style" and to her jam "Music" in front of nearly 20,000.

Long Islanders fume over utility's storm response

- Associated Press

Priscilla Niemiera has a message for officials at the Long Island Power Authority. "I'd tell them, get off your rear end and do your job," the 68-year-old Seaford resident said. Well, she would if she could get in touch with anyone.

Drivers grapple with NYC gas rationing after Sandy

- Associated Press

A return to 1970s-era gas rationing seemed to help with hourslong gas station lines that formed after Superstorm Sandy, but it didn't end a fuel-gauge fixation that suddenly has become a way of life for drivers in the nation's largest city.

Voters in N.Y., N.J. not deterred by effects of superstorm Sandy

- Associated Press

Election Day turnout was heavy Tuesday in several storm-ravaged areas in New York and New Jersey, a welcome change from crisis to catharsis for many who saw exercising their civic duty as a sign of normalcy amid lingering devastation.

Lights in lower Manhattan; misery in outer regions

- Associated Press

The lights were back on Saturday in lower Manhattan, prompting screams of sweet relief from residents who had been plunged into darkness for nearly five days by Superstorm Sandy. But that joy contrasted with deepening resentment in the city's outer boroughs and suburbs over a continued lack of power and maddening gas shortages.

Obama seeks votes as complaints mount over storm response

- The Washington Times

Facing questions about his campaigning for re-election while millions of Americans still await government relief efforts from superstorm Sandy, President Obama said Saturday that one of the disaster's positive results was "leaders of different political parties working together to fix what's broken."

Lines at East Coast gas stations steam commuters

- Associated Press

Motorists increasingly desperate for a fill-up fumed in long lines at gas stations and screamed at each other Friday as fuel shortages in Superstorm Sandy's wake spread across the metropolitan area.

Battered N.J. agonizes over whether to rebuild shore

- Associated Press

In its tear of destruction, the megastorm Sandy left parts of New Jersey's beloved shore in tatters, sweeping away beaches, homes, boardwalks and amusement parks.

Storm-crippled NYC subway creaks back into service

- Associated Press

Subways started running again in much of New York City on Thursday for the first time since Superstorm Sandy, but traffic at bridges backed up for miles, long lines formed at gas stations, and tempers flared as commuters waited for buses.

FEMA has $3.6B for Sandy relief

- The Washington Times

While Congress is facing several unresolved issues in a potentially busy post-election lame duck session, finding additional disaster relief money for Hurricane Sandy likely won't be on the list, as FEMA and lawmakers say available funds should be sufficient.

Sandy prompts switch; United will open playoffs at home

- The Washington Times

D.C. United and the New York Red Bulls will swap home dates for their Eastern Conference semifinal series, the clubs announced Wednesday, with RFK Stadium hosting Game 1 on Saturday as the New York metropolitan area continues to recover from the devastation of Hurricane Sandy.

Ravaged states start cleanup, add up losses

- The Washington Times

Giant cities and small neighborhoods across the eastern half of the country took stock, mourned their losses and began the first tentative efforts to restore normalcy Wednesday as the death toll from superstorm Sandy rose to more than 70 and the economic losses were being reckoned in the tens of billions of dollars.

New York, New Jersey struggle to recover from Sandy

- Associated Press

Two major airports reopened and the floor of the New York Stock Exchange came back to life Wednesday, while across the river in New Jersey, National Guardsmen rushed to rescue flood victims and fires still raged two days after Superstorm Sandy.

In darkened NYC, safety on the list of concerns

- Associated Press

Faced with the prospect of days without power and swaths of the city plunged into darkness at night, police brought in banks of lights and boosted patrols to reassure victims of a monster storm that they won't be victims of crime.

Area picks up, starts return to normal in storm’s wake

- The Washington Times

Schools, government offices and transportation systems in the D.C. metro area are set to resume full operations on Wednesday after Hurricane Sandy ravaged parts of the East Coast but did less damage than expected to the District and its suburbs.

Insurers say Sandy’s damage could cost $10 billion

- The Washington Times

Home insurance companies say they were prepared for Hurricane Sandy, but the same may not be true for flood insurers who are feeling increased pressure as the storm caused more water damage than normally expected in such storms.

For Obama, an opportunity to take charge in a crisis

- The Washington Times

Although Hurricane Sandy blew President Obama's re-election campaign far off its charted course, Mr. Obama had the advantage over Republican rival Mitt Romney Tuesday by taking on the presidential role of coordinating emergency relief efforts across the Eastern seaboard.

Flooded data center takes down websites

- Associated Press

Water welling into southern Manhattan drenched one of the world's densest communications nodes, taking out popular websites and forcing carriers to reroute international traffic.

O'Malley: 'It's clear that we were fortunate'

- The Washington Times

Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley was thankful Tuesday morning that his state escaped the brunt of Hurricane Sandy's damage, but called on residents to remain cautious for the next day as crews assess damage and restore power.

At least 80 flooded houses destroyed in NYC fire

Associated Press

A huge fire destroyed 80 to 100 houses in a flooded beachfront neighborhood of the borough of Queens on Tuesday, forcing firefighters to undertake daring rescues and injuring three people.

Gray begins assessing storm damages

- The Washington Times

D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray set off on a tour of shelters and sites along the Potomac River Tuesday morning to examine the damage and debris left by a one-two punch of harsh weather in the capital region.

W.Va. blizzard warning as Appalachia storm blows

- Associated Press

Wet snow and high winds spinning off the edge of superstorm Sandy spread blizzard conditions over parts of West Virginia and neighboring Appalachian states Tuesday, shutting one interstate as trucks and cars bogged down and knocking out power to many.

Sandy socks East Coast

- The Washington Times

Swirling from the nation's capital to New England, a hurricane-fueled superstorm struck the most populous region of the United States on Monday with the type of brute force that had been predicted for days.

Sandy slams into Northeast; at least 34 dead, 8.2M without power

- Associated Press

Millions of people from Maine to the Carolinas awoke Tuesday without electricity, and an eerily quiet New York City was all but closed off by car, train and air as superstorm Sandy steamed inland, still delivering punishing wind and rain. The U.S. death toll climbed to 34, many of the victims killed by falling trees.

Multimedia

Bloomberg facing backlash over NYC Marathon

Bloomberg facing backlash over NYC Marathon

Gallery: 21 Photos
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is criticized for proceeding with the New York City Marathon despite the toll on citizens still reeling from superstorm Sandy.

Relief slow to come to Staten Island

Relief slow to come to Staten Island

Gallery: 18 Photos
Residents and public officials complained that help has been slow to arrive on stricken Staten Island, where 19 have been killed.