Outsmarting The Surge

The devastating superstorm was a sign of things to come. How we can better prepare for a catastrophe-prone future

By Bryan Walsh Monday, Nov. 12, 2012
    • Andrew Quilty / Oculi for TIME

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    Hurricanes have always been a part of life on this planet, and they will continue to be. But we can control our preparation for and response to events like Sandy — for better or for worse. We can make sure that natural disasters don't morph into man-made catastrophes like Katrina, but it requires farsighted leadership and investments made before the storm clouds roll in. "What is clear is that the storms that we've experienced in the last year or so, around this country and around the world, are much more severe than before," New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the day after Sandy pulverized his city. "We'll have to address those issues." And that's Sandy's final lesson: if we don't pay now, we'll certainly pay later.

    FOR MORE IMAGES OF SANDY FROM TIME PHOTOGRAPHERS, GO TO time.com/lightbox

    The original version of this article misstated that the GOES-East satellite is run by NASA. It is actually run by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

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