TV networks airing Sandy specials Sunday

NEW YORK — Less than three weeks after Superstorm Sandy came ashore on the East Coast, three television networks will offer the chance to relive the experience on the same night.

PBS’ “Nova” series will air a one-hour special on Sandy on Sunday evening, the same night that History is scheduled to run “Superstorm 2012: Hell and High Water.” The National Geographic network first airs its Sandy special on Thursday but will rerun it on Sunday night.

Two of the specials, on PBS and National Geographic, will directly compete with each other Sunday at 6 p.m.

The National Geographic special is being made by Pioneer Productions, which has also made the extreme weather specials “Raging Planet” and “The Year the Earth Went Wild.” Producers of “Superstorm 2012” promise to include home video, news footage and computer re-creations to tell the storm’s story and its effect on people.

History turned to a British production team to make its special, which was initially scheduled for an hour but cut back to 30 minutes. Scientists and meteorologists are interviewed to discuss how the storm formed, along with people who lived through it.

“Nova” also shows storm footage, but spends time on the question of whether superstorms are becoming more frequent and what can be done to protect coastlines. It airs directly before a Ken Burns special, “The Dust Bowl,” about another extreme atmospheric event.

Many of the people affected by the storm will be unlikely to see the TV specials. Thousands of homes remained without power.