When Superstorm Sandy struck the Northeast, there were tens, and perhaps hundreds, of thousands of devastated automobiles. Some came floating out of flooded Manhattan garages. The roofs of others could barely be seen submerged at shipping ports. Still more were tossed and rolled in communities in the region, wrapped up amid the wreckage of homes, boats and businesses.
The cost of replacing these vehicles could add billions of dollars to the total damages from what is likely to be one of the most expensive storms ever to hit the US. Some expert are already stating that Sandy’s automotive tolls could come close to losses seen in other recent disasters, with Hurricane Katrina in 2005 being the most cited and compared. It’s going to take a while for all of these vehicles to be reported, perhaps months to complete.