The issues NYC/New Jersey etc are having are due to the population density, the fact that NYC is surrounded by water (the river exacerbates things), and the various tunnels & subways. It will be costly to fix, but things could have been MUCH worse....imagine if a Hurricane takes that track in August when the water is at it's warmest. Then we're talking anywhere from a cat 2 to a cat 4 and those would really hammer New York not to mention any tornadoes that could spin off a storm of that strength.
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