Decades before Hurricane Sandy hit, a state law and a series of legislative reports began warning state lawmakers to prepare for a storm of historic proportions, but according to the Associated Press, most of those warnings were largely ignored.

The AP said a 1978 executive law required a standing state Disaster Preparedness Commission to regularly create and update disaster plans.

Reports over the last 10 years added urgency, suggesting a huge storm was inevitable.

However, despite emergency management talks over the years, former Democratic Assemblyman Richard Brodsky said almost nothing was done to address prevention and recovery.

While some concerns such as repairing commuter lines quickly have improved in recent years, former lawmakers said some problems were only revealed by the storm itself.

A lack of funding also held back preparation.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg said last week the city wasn't expecting Sandy.

In the wake of the storm, he said the city will reassess building codes and evacuation zone borders, and consider improvements on a number of other fronts.