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Hit by the Storm: A Look at Some of the Communities Most Affected by Sandy

THURSDAY, NOV 01, 2012

This week, Hurricane Sandy tore through the Atlantic and landed on the East Coast.  After high winds and flooding, dozens of people died in the storm, millions remain without power, and property all along the coast suffered damage.

Using American Community Survey data from 2006-10, Social Explorer takes a look at a few of the New York-area communities hit hardest by the storm.

In New York City, the storm left behind flooded transit tunnels and a power station exploded, shutting off for over 25 percent of customers, including everyone south of 39th Street.

Map of Downtown Manhattan 2006-10 American Community Survey (click to explore)

The storm caused a great amount of damage in New Jersey, especially along the iconic boardwalk areas such as Seaside Heights and Atlantic City, as well as Hoboken.

Map of Atlantic City, NJ, 2006-10 American Community Survey (click to explore)

The barrier island along Queens and Long Island suffered greatly as well.  The storm devastated the community of Breezy Point, known as the “Irish Riviera,” on the tip of Rockaway, Queens.  In addition to water damage throughout the area, over 100 houses burnt down.

Map of Breezy Point, Queens, American Community Survey 2006-10 (click to explore)

To learn a little more about who lives in these communities, the table below summarizes a few demographic facts about each of these areas.  Visit Social Explorer’s map and report tools to learn more about these and other places.

Selected Areas Hit Hard by Hurricane Sandy

Geography Median Income Poverty Rate % Non-Hispanic White % Non-Hispanic Black % Hispanic % Non-Hispanic Asian Top Two Industries/Occupations
Downtown Manhattan $63,692 18.4% 50.8% 4.8% 15.5% 26.4% Professional, scientific and management, and administrative and waste management services (20.8%); Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing (17.4%)
Atlantic City, NJ $30,241 25.3% 18.9% 38.1% 23.7% 16.8% Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation and food services (44.8%); Educational services, and health care and social assistance (13.2%)
Breezy Point, Queens $82,996 2.5% 98.0% 0.3% 1.7% 0.0% Educational services, and health care and social assistance (37.8%); Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing (16.8%)

Table features American Community Survey 2006-10 data on the following geographic areas:

Downtown Manhattan (PUMA 03809 and 03810)

Atlantic City (census tracts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 19, 23, 24, and 25, Atlantic County, NJ)

Breezy Point (Census Tract 916.01, Queens County, NY)

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