Superstorm Sandy

In October of 2012, Superstorm Sandy hit the East Coast with a vengeance. Massive destruction in New Jersey and New York totaled over a billion dollars in damage. In the Fairfield community, more than a thousand homes were damaged by flooding, five thousand people were evacuated, and six homes washed out to sea. The storm, which resulted in $500 million of private property damage in Connecticut, was followed by months of cleanup and years of longer-term recovery and re-building.

On a larger scale, Superstorm Sandy was only considered to be a “once in every 50 years” storm. If the storm had hit at high tide and at the predicted surge levels, the town could have been damaged as badly as New York and New Jersey. Spared from major destruction, Fairfield gained time to better prepare for the next storm.