covering much of the Northeast.
Many coastal residents today still recall the fury that was the Great Nor'easter of December 1992. Regarded by the National Weather Service as "one of the epic storms of all time," its debilitating storm surge, sustained hurricane-force winds with gusts at 90 mph, wave heights of up to 9.3 meters, and massive precipitation over the New England and Mid-Atlantic states caused extensive damage to an area that was still recovering from "the Perfect Storm" of 1991. Blizzard conditions crippled some areas while flooding in the nation's major metropolitan areas led to the near shutdown of New York City's transportation system and an evacuation of coastal residents on the New Jersey and Long Island shores. The storm caused $2 billion worth of damage, leaving behind the total destruction of homes in Westhampton and forcing President George H.W. Bush to declare the counties surrounding New York City a federal disaster area.