Five years ago, Hurricane Sandy struck the East Coast with a record-setting 14-foot surge.
Winds gusted up to 80 mph, and tides were especially high due to the full moon. It wreaked havoc on the shores of the Northeast, killing at least 100 people.
When Sandy made landfall in Atlantic City on the night of October 29, 2012, the streets were flooded, power lines and trees were knocked down, and the city's iconic boardwalk was destroyed.
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie announced a weeklong commemoration this Monday, along with the news that the three most affected counties are now financially "fully recovered."
Christie also noted that the news "doesn't mean that every family is back in their home ... we're now at about 1,000 homes that are still left." Local grassroots organizations are disputing Christie's numbers, claiming that it's closer to 2,300 homes.
Here, on the fifth anniversary, we take a look back at the destruction the dangerous storm caused on the coasts of New York and New Jersey.
Thousands of New Jersey residents were asked to evacuate their homes, and casinos were closed in Atlantic City. In this now iconic scene, a roller coaster in Seaside Heights, New Jersey, has gone underwater.
By October 28, President Obama had officially declared a state of emergency for New Jersey. Here's the boardwalk at Seaside Heights, which was also severely damaged.
After the storm, the ground was completely ripped up in Ortley Beach, New Jersey.
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