Hurricane Sandy was the biggest storm yet of an active tropical storm season. It formed south of Jamaica on Oct. 22, smashed through Cuba Oct. 24-25 and began affecting beaches in Florida by Oct. 26. As it moved further north, concern heighted as it merged with another storm, prior to making landfall near Atlantic City, N.J. Oct. 29.
Jacksonville District engineers were on alert from the beginning. The district activated its emergency operations center (EOC) Oct. 24 and closely monitored the storm as it moved through the Bahamas. Once reports started circulating about the full range of impacts in New York and New Jersey, several Jacksonville District team members were tapped for duties in a variety of locations.