Hurricane Sandy devastated much of the northeastern coast when it made landfall Oct. 29. Winds up to 80 mph and floodwaters up to 14 feet blanketed New York, bursting a transformer, which caused a fire in the Queens neighborhood of Rockaway Beach, destroying 111 homes. The fire and floodwaters trapped many residents, who had to be rescued by local authorities and Marines from the 6th Communications Battalion, headquartered in Brooklyn, N.Y. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Mark C. Olsen/released)