Cuomo: $42B Sandy Worse Than Katrina

So, where does Hurricane Sandy fall on the scale of recent disasters? Somewhere above Katrina, at least according to Andrew Cuomo. "Hurricane Katrina, in many ways, was not as impactful as Hurricane Sandy, believe it or not," the New York governor said. "Because of the density of New York, the number of people affected, the number of properties affected was much larger in Hurricane Sandy than Hurricane Katrina." Still, "Katrina had a human toll that thankfully we have not paid in this region."

Katrina was to blame for 1,866 deaths; Sandy was responsible for about 100, the New York Post notes. Sandy, however, damaged some 305,000 homes and 265,300 businesses, while Katrina hit 214,700 homes and 18,700 businesses. Cuomo put the storm's damage, plus the cost of preparations for future storms, at $42 billion. The comparison between storms "puts the entire conversation ... in focus," says Cuomo—but is the comparison valid? It's dicey at best, according to many on Twitter, as well as Connor Simpson at the Atlantic Wire. Note to Cuomo: You "look like you're trying to put a greater price on your infrastructure than those people's lives." (More Andrew Cuomo stories.)