They’ve been unable to return to their home in New Jersey since Superstorm Sandy damaged it three years ago. And a single mother of three, who needs a kidney transplant, is still rebuilding after years of fighting with insurers, contractors and state aid programs. But she’s not even sure she’ll be able to move in to the new home rising 15 feet higher than her old one.
Almost a year has passed since Hurricane Sandy made landfall, and while some areas have recovered well, progress across several eastern states leaves much to be desired for some.
Wilson Hicks, former Executive Editor for Life Magazine, once wrote, “The most graphic reporting is eyewitness reporting. ‘I was there, I saw it happen, it was like this.’ In journalistic print, the firsthand account which comes closest to reproducing the actuality of an event is the picture…”
Baltimore Sun photographers were on hand to witness and photograph the highs and lows of 2012, from the resurgent Orioles making the playoffs for the first time in 15 years to the devastation of Superstorm Sandy.
The images in this gallery are a sampling of these pictures as selected by Sun Director of Photography Robert Hamilton. Some of these photographs are from significant events that shaped the lives of people; others are small moments of universal truths.
Widespread destruction is seen along the New Jersey and New York coastlines after Sandy.
Residents and businesses in the eastern United States tried to return to normalcy on Wednesday following mega-storm Sandy. The storm, initially a hurricane, crippled transportation, knocked out power for millions and killed at least 64 people.
The New York City area was hit particularly hard by Sandy. With a paralyzed subway system, traffic-clogged streets and large areas still without power, the Big Apple faces a daunting path before things can fully return to normal.
As of 2:10 p.m. EDT, the number of confirmed deaths has risen to 30 in the U.S. while millions continue to struggle with flooding, fire and power outages as a result of Superstorm Sandy.
During Superstorm Sandy, Ocean City, Md. was one of the worst hit communities in the state. Sun photographer Karl Merton Ferron captured startling images from the seaside resort town. Emergency workers responded to 231 calls for help Monday and moved about 50 residents who had ignored a mandatory evacuation. About 100 feet of the Ocean City Fishing Pier was wiped out. Crews are assessing the damage today.
As of 11 p.m. EDT: Sandy made landfall in southern New Jersey around 8 p.m. and impacted communities all along the East Coast. Millions of people in the path of the 1,000-mile-wide storm are watching and waiting. More than 2.8 million are without electricity.
The storm’s powerful winds and rains were blamed for at least 65 deaths in several Caribbean countries, including 51 in Haiti.
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