Report: Sandy Was United States' 2nd-costliest Hurricane

FILE - This Oct. 30, 2012 aerial file photo provided by the U.S. Air Force shows flooding on the New Jersey shoreline during a search and rescue mission by the New Jersey Army National Guard following Superstorm Sandy. Redrawn federal maps indicating flood-prone areas may force many property owners, especially in New York or New Jersey, to pay exorbitantly for flood insurance, raise their homes or move away altogether. In New Jersey, flood insurance premiums could cost as much as $31,000 a year. (AP Photo/U.S. Air Force, Master Sgt. Mark C. Olsen, File)

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By Aaron Hepker

Story Created: Feb 12, 2013 at 1:15 PM CDT

Story Updated: Feb 12, 2013 at 1:15 PM CDT

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — The National Hurricane Center says Superstorm Sandy was the deadliest hurricane to hit the northeastern U.S. in 40 years and the second-costliest in the nation's history.

The center released a report Tuesday that attributes 72 deaths in the U.S. directly to Sandy, from Maryland to New Hampshire. That's more than any hurricane to hit the northeastern U.S. since Hurricane Agnes killed 122 people in 1972.

The report counts at least 87 more deaths indirectly tied to the storm, from causes such as hypothermia due to power outages and accidents during cleanup efforts.

The report estimated Sandy caused $50 billion in damage, greater than any U.S. hurricane but Katrina. That 2005 storm caused $108 billion in damage, or $128 billion adjusted to 2012 dollars.

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