Despite the reopening of the New York Stock Exchange planned for 9:30 EST, much of the east coast of the US continues to assess the damage of the massive weather event we’ve all come to awkwardly refer to as Superstorm Sandy. The storm is blamed for 55 deaths in the US and the disruptions are still historic. Here is a quick by-the-numbers look.
18,100: The number of flights cancelled across the US and the globe, according to the Associated Press and flight-tracking website FlightAware. John F. Kennedy International Airport and Newark Liberty International were set to reopen today at 7 am EST, with limited service. LaGuardia remains closed. During a normal day roughly 25% of flights in the US travel either to or from New York area airports. So, delays in the Big Apple rapidly ripple throughout the US and indeed, the world.
8,204,914: The total number of homes and businesses without power, as 2 p.m. Oct. 30, according to the US Department of Energy. Nearly 25% of those without power were in New York, where the lights remained off in lower Manhattan for a second straight night. And New Jersey remained particularly hard hit with around 65% of customers without power.
45: Estimated losses, in billions of dollars, related to the storm, according to Mohammad Khan, insurance partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers. A tab that big could raise insurance premiums globally. “Will Hurricane Sandy impact insurance premiums? If losses are in the range of $10-$20 billion, there may be a short knock-on effect. A loss double that size, however, is more likely to raise premiums globally, as was the case with other events such as Hurricane Andrew, 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina,” Khan told the Guardian.
10: The number of tunnels that carry commuters under New York’s East River that remain flooded, according to the Associated Press. Some bridges have reopened however.
3: The number of feet of snow — that’s 90 centimeters — that Sandy dumped far inland in the US, as the storm brought blizzard conditions to parts of Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, according to Agence France Presse.
18,000-20,000: The number of international runners expected to participate in Sunday’s New York Marathon. It’s still a go, according to the head of the group that runs the race.