A Lesson in Perspective, From a Hurricane

To most people on the northeastern seaboard, Hurricane Sandy started as a rumor, office chatter, hype. “Did you hear about the Frankenstorm? They’re calling it a snor’eastercane. Do you think we’ll have a day off?”

Then the news began to crystallize in imagery and scrolling banners. News outlets began to compare the hurricane to historical storms. They showed reporters in windy, rainy places. They posted expected wind speeds and rain accumulation. They repeated themselves. And suddenly the hurricane was outside our windows. 

Over time, the storm moved from inside the television to outside the window. It became real.

The damage took shape in a variety of forms. The pictures tell the story of the physical damage. The financial damage is unclear at the moment, but U.S. stocks dropped after the details of the damage began to break. At its peak, 8.5 million people lost power. (The number sits at 702,000 currently. By the way, if you’re still in an affected area, and somehow you’re reading this, Inc. has been keeping a list of help and service options.)

Hurricane Sandy also had intangible effects and taught a variety of lessons. With time, the media has gained perspective, and have begun to examine the storm through industry-focused lenses. Garance Franke-Ruta at The Atlantic learned how to tweet better as a journalist in breaking-news situations. She reminds journalists to follow links back to their sources and to be wary of content before re-tweeting. Morgan Housel at the Motley Fool learned a key lesson from financial advisor Carl Richards: “Risk is what's left over after you think you've thought of everything else.” Paul Venezia at InfoWorld examines Sandy as a data center professional, commenting on the need for monitoring, backup power and DR planning. Dan Simon at Forbes learned a few key lessons as a small business owner, like a need for more cloud and greater appreciation for his IT guy. Ariel Schwartz at Co.Design examines how New York City can prepare for future storms.

It’s a strange notion, but disaster can also bring positive effects. According to Irwin Kellner at MarketWatch, although damages are expected to cost as much as $50 billion, that figure is a blip for America’s $16 trillion economy. Once the lull passes—when the immediate damage is done and insurance claims are settled—affected areas will rebuild. The lull could last till spring, but when the rebuilding efforts begin, experts are predicting a positive impact in construction-related industry, which is vital to the economy. Even mid-lifers may have a greater chance to get back into construction jobs. When thoughts of rebuilding are coupled with a deceiving, but positive job report from the BLS, our economy appears to be looking up.

With time comes perspective, and with perspective comes hope. In some of the most affected areas, people showed up to vote. America has survived due to a combination of hope and resilience. It's buried somewhere deep; it's in our national makeup. Even now, at home and overseas, “Made in U.S.A.” labels still evoke notions of success, quality, value, and innovation. 

Areas affected by Hurricane Sandy suffered another big storm, called "Athena," on Wednesday. Athena has already caused power outages and put recovery efforts on pause. At this point, the effects from Sandy have impacted the landscape in such a way that it's unclear how much damage the new storm will cause overall. As I write this, the storm is making its way east, away from the coast.

 

It’s important to remember: Storms pass. What makes us great is our ability to come out of them. “It’s halftime, America.” We can fix ourselves. We can rebuild. We can make it greater than before.

 

Image by NOAA.