Two years ago today Superstorm Sandy hit the shores of the East Coast, changing residents' lives and making a big impact on the insurance industry. The storm surge that resulted from Sandy destroyed homes along the Jersey Shore and Long Island; flooded lower Manhattan and major transportation hub Hoboken, disrupting public transportation for months; knocked out power for days for most residents across the area; and erroded beaches along the entire coast, as far down south as South Carolina.

Superstorm Sandy caused $18.75 billion in property losses across 15 states and Washington D.C., excluding flood insurance claims covered by FEMA, according to the Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I.) and ISO’s Property Claim Services (PCS). New Jersey and New York suffered the largest losses, with $9.65 billion and 6.3 billion accrued respectively. So far, Sandy is the third most costly hurricane in U.S. history by insured losses.

As of July 2014, FEMA has paid $7.72 billion in claims and continues to accept claims from New Jersey residents after granting Gov. Chris Christie's request for a third claim deadline extension. Many residents are still struggling to get the aid they need to rebuild their homes as FEMA investigates fraudulent aid distribution.