Hurricane Sandy struck New York on October 29–30, 2012, causing catastrophic flooding and devastation across New York City, its suburbs, and Long Island. The storm flooded the NYC Subway system and all road tunnels into Manhattan except the Lincoln Tunnel, forced the New York Stock Exchange to close for two consecutive days, and sparked fires that destroyed over 100 homes in Breezy Point, Queens—while also triggering a crane collapse at One57 and evacuations of major hospitals like Bellevue. At least 43 people died in NYC (53 statewide), and the storm destroyed thousands of homes and roughly 250,000 vehicles, with economic losses in the city estimated at $19 billion and restoration needs across the state at $32.8 billion. In preparation, Governor Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency on October 28, President Barack Obama signed a federal emergency declaration, and transit service was suspended across the MTA, Metro-North, and Long Island Rail Road. Sandy originated in the Caribbean on October 22 and made landfall near Brigantine, New Jersey, on the evening of October 29, just hours after transitioning into an extratropical storm, prompting the National Weather Service to issue high wind warnings rather than hurricane warnings. The unprecedented storm surge—forecast to reach 6–11 feet—forced massive evacuations and shelter openings across Nassau and Suffolk counties, leaving a lasting mark on the region’s infrastructure and emergency planning.