"Marcia McNutt, who resigned as director of the US Geological Survey, says hurricane Sandy has left communities exposed."

"Cities on the United States east coast are 'sitting ducks' for the next big storm because of the destruction wrought by hurricane Sandy, one of Barack Obama's top scientists warned on Tuesday.

Marcia McNutt, who last week announced her resignation as director of the US Geological Survey, told a conference that Sandy had left coastal communities dangerously exposed to future storms of any size.

'Superstorm Sandy was a threshold for the north-east and we have already crossed it,' McNutt told the National Council for Science and the Environment conference in Washington. 'For the next storm, not even a super storm, even a run-of-the-mill nor'easter, the amount of breaches and the amount of coastal flooding will be widespread.'"

Suzanne Goldenberg reports for the Guardian January 15, 2013. [2]