Superstorm Sandy

Responding To One of the America’s Costliest Storms

Initially hitting Jamaica and Cuba before turning west-northwest and making landfall near Atlantic City, N.J., on Oct. 29, 2012, Superstorm Sandy affected 24 states, including the entire eastern seaboard of the United States. On the same day it made landfall a record-breaking surge level of nearly 14-ft struck Manhattan’s Battery Park. The estimated storm damage to the United States was over $60 billion dollars.

Drawing on expertise from across our firm, we quickly assembled a team of forensic specialists and conducted damage assessments to multiple facilities in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Specific issues we addressed immediately were related to structural and architectural evaluation, HVAC, electrical, plumbing and fire protection equipment and systems.

Highlights

• Our investigations included high-rise office and residential buildings in addition to retail, rail, aviation and government facilities and clients included building owners and managers, insurance companies and their representatives, and various governmental agencies.
• As New York City was especially hard hit, we were engaged by multiple insurers to assess storm-damage to specifically to World Trade Towers 2, 3 and 4.
• Our building experts assessed damage to building systems, specifically major mechanical, plumbing and electrical components submerged by the storm event.
• The assessment involved multiple stories below the street level and three separate, but interconnected, office towers that were under construction at the time Superstorm Sandy struck.
• We led the technical assessment of the damage and worked alongside forensic accountants, construction consultants and other building specialists, to provide information that sped the development of scopes of repair or replacement and measurement of costs for reinstatement. 
• The collaborative team effort helped to conclude the three claims within eight months of the date of loss.