LVXXU

Figure 2-1. Illustration of Tornado and Hurricane Tracks, Wildfires, Earthquakes, and Coastal Inundation 5
Earthquakes (1990-2004)
Hurricanes that caused
over $1B Damage
(1980-Present)
Tropical Storm
Category 1
Category 2
Category 3
Category 4
Category 5
Hurricane Inundation Zones
Fires (2000-2009)
Tornado Paths
(1990-2013)
EF1
EF2
EF3
EF4
EF5
This figure maps the regional distribution of major natural disasters to help visualize regional vulnerabilities. This visualization shows the lower 48
states, but analysis was also completed on Alaska and Hawaii.
Energy Infrastructure Damage from Hurricane Sandy b
Hurricane Sandy made landfall in New Jersey and New York, as a post-tropical cyclone, on October 29, 2012. The storm destroyed
neighborhoods along the coast and directly or indirectly killed at least 159 people. At its peak, it knocked out power to 8.66 million
customers from North Carolina to Maine and as far west as Illinois and Wisconsin. Sandy’s impact on the region’s petroleum
infrastructure was severe, with flooding and power outages at refineries, pipelines, and petroleum terminals in the New York Harbor
area, leading to depressed petroleum product supply in the Northeast and stock drawdowns and temporary price increases. Nearly 2
weeks after the storm, product deliveries (outflows) from petroleum product terminals in the New York Harbor had returned to only
61 percent of their pre-storm levels. Breaks in natural gas lines caused fires in some locations, resulting in the destruction of many
residences. The supply issues at New York Harbor terminals, combined with power outages at retail fueling stations, led to widespread
gasoline shortages in the New York City area in the weeks after landfall. This was largely caused by flooding damage to major terminals
and docks in the Arthur Kill area of New Jersey. As a result, portable generators sat unused and lines at fueling stations were long
and problematic, while consumers struggled to identify which gas stations had power and were operational. Significantly, these fuel
shortages delayed first responders and other response and recovery officials.
b
Department of Housing and Urban Development. “Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Strategy.” p. 24. Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding
Task Force. http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/documents/huddoc?id=hsrebuildingstrategy.pdf.
QER Report: Energy Transmission, Storage, and Distribution Infrastructure | April 2015 2-5