The United States has been pounded by what people are saying is the worst storm in the country’s 236 year history. I’m sure you have all been hearing all about it on the news and radio, but below I have gathered some of the hard facts of the colossal disaster.

• Lives lost: 85 in America, 1 in Canada, 67 in the Caribbean
• People without electricity: 8.1 million
• Cancelled airline flights: 12,000
• Highest surge of seawater in Manhattan: 14 feet
• Patients who had to be emergency evacuated: 700
• Houses destroyed in subsequent fire: 100
• Wind speed: 145 kph
• Tweets about hurricane Sandy: peaked at 400,000 in 1 hour at 10pm the night of landfall
• Photos posted online showing Sandy: 12 per second
• Most shared term on facebook: “we are ok”
• Estimated cost of cleanup: 50 billion dollars
• Nuclear reactors shut down as a result: 3, with a 4th on alert
• Insured losses: estimated at between 7-15 billion USD
• Max snowfall in one area: 2 feet and still snowing
• Max rainfall in one area: 12.49 inches
• National guardsmen still on alert: 7,400

All of us here in Australia, and especially the team at Media Messages are sending our thoughts and prayers to those affected.