"WASHINGTON -- In October 2012, Superstorm Sandy wreaked major havoc on the United States, causing 117 deaths and leaving $62 billion worth of damage in its wake when it passed through New York and New Jersey. But Sandy wasn't the strongest storm ever to hit that region, and there is the potential for other, much bigger storms to strike, a new report warns.

Sandy was considered a Category 3 storm in its early stages, but by the time it hit New Jersey, it had been downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone. Sandy was unusual in its very large storm surge and wide berth. But the report, released Thursday by the reinsurance company Swiss Re, digs back into the historical record to look at another storm -- an 1821 hurricane that struck the Mid-Atlantic states and moved north -- that would do a lot more damage than Sandy if it were to strike today.

'Hurricane Sandy was obviously a terrible event for the Northeast United States, but it really was not the worst-case scenario,' said Dr. Megan Linkin, a natural hazards expert for Swiss Re and the author of the report. 'The East Coast is not immune to a hurricane that brings a Sandy-like surge and extreme winds over a large area.'"

Kate Sheppard reports for the Huffington Post September 18, 2014. [2]