When the brunt of Hurricane Sandy finally past the eastern seaboard early on Tuesday, October 30, 2012 , US Coast Guard crews were able to begin conducting overflights of the hardest hit areas which included coastal areas of New Jersey, New York City, and Long Island. What they observed was nothing short of tragic, and we know now that this was really just the beginning.

Here is an amazing collection of aerial photographs from those overflights.

Overflight New Jersey: On Tuesday, October 30, 2012, a HH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod, Mass., took off from Fort Wadsworth in Staten Island, N.Y. to observe property damage along the New Jersey coastline caused by Hurricane Sandy. U.S. Coast Guard photos by Petty Officer 2nd Class Erik Swanson.

Overflight New York City: A MH-65T Dolphin helicopter aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City conducted an over flight assessment of New York Boroughs impacted by Hurricane Sandy on Tuesday, October 30, 2012. U.S. Coast Guard photos by Air Station Atlantic City aircrews.

Overflight Long Island: Areas of Long Island, N.Y. are shown below during an overflight with Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod, Mass, following Hurricane Sandy on Oct. 30, 2012. U.S. Coast Guard photos by Petty Officer 2nd Class Rob Simpson.

READ: gCaptain’s Full Hurricane Sandy Coverage

This article was first published on October 31, 2012, and is re-published one year after the Super Storm.