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This is what a New York City catastrophe looks like

By Andrew Nusca | October 30, 2012, 4:57 PM PDT

In the wake of unprecedented flooding from Hurricane Sandy, New York City’s Metropolitan Transit Authority has released a video showing the inundation’s aftermath at its South Ferry-Whitehall Street subway station in lower Manhattan (which still lacks electricity at the time of this writing).

The video is absolutely breathtaking, and an important reason why cities — especially high-population, low-lying ones located near bodies of water — need to revisit their resilience strategies, pronto.

The video:

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About Andrew Nusca

Andrew Nusca is the editor of SmartPlanet.

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This is what happens

When you build undergound tunnels, below sea level, on a flat island that sits barely above sea level.

Posted by bb_apptix

31st Oct

Just
In

Yeah, the media is lame, but you...

Apparently you have no idea what you're talking about or took the time to read some of the comments from some of the people w/in this section! The tracks are close to 20ft BELOW this station and are COMPLETELY flooded! And as someone already mentioned the "...pump rooms are flooded, no electricity to pump the water out, no worker dumb enough to go down there to restart the pumps that run on 600 volts of juice." So please spare me and anyone else the notion that you have any idea what you're talking about or that you have any idea of just how incredibly damaging this storm has been. MILLIONS of people have been affected, not thousands, not hundreds of thousands, but millions!

Posted by confoundednj

5th Nov

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This is what happens

When you build undergound tunnels, below sea level, on a flat island that sits barely above sea level.

Posted by bb_apptix

31st Oct

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So I'm sure that you have an additional

smart-aleck observation about the Chunnel.

You have tunnel vision.

We put people like you in our mailroom.

Posted by jimbo.starr

31st Oct

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They were warned.

"New York City could soon be home to the worlds longest aquarium, housed in its subway system. "

http://www.propertycasualty360.com/2012/10/29/nyc-the-most-dangerous-place-in-the-world-for-stor

Posted by Hates Idiots

Updated - 31st Oct

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Absolutely Breathtaking?!?!

I kept waiting for something more exciting than ankle deep water to happen. Compared to any other storm video I've seen, for this storm or any other big storm, this video is just a big yawn. I wish you guys would stop hyping up every darn story you write. You tricked me into watching a video I normally would not have wasted my time to view.

Posted by omb00900@...

31st Oct

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My apologies

Next time I'll get Jerry Bruckheimer or Michael Bay to direct.

Posted by andrew.nusca

31st Oct

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I guess you didn't notice the lower levels that were completely flooded?

Of course there is no video of that tunnel -- it is all underwater!
And this is not a storm video, it is an after-the-storm video of damage done.
And the damage is extensive -- everything metal or electronic submerged in saltwater will have to be replaced.

But the video is dull, I will give you that...

Posted by Day Dreamer

31st Oct

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Absolutely!

This is something from the NYCT so that the news services can see what is happening in the subways. You are seeing the highest level of the station. The tracks are 15 to 25 feet below and completely flooded. The pump rooms are flooded, no electricity to pump the water out, no worker dumb enough to go down there to restart the pumps that run on 600 volts of juice. You want excitement? go surfing in the Atlantic of the Caribbean while one of these is blowing at 100 to 150 MPH.

Posted by noel.a.rivera@...

31st Oct

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Possible Flood Prevention

This might be a good idea to prevent future flooding or reduce it: Build all entrances to stations at a height of about 10 foot, or whatever height would be considered suitable.

Posted by kitemanmusic

31st Oct

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10 feet wouldn't have helped

and possibly 10 foot was already in place. 9.5 feet happened with hurricane Irene, 11 feet was the all time 191 year old record for a storm surge, the highest any models predicted for sandy was 12 feet, and that power substation was build to withstand 12.5 feet. But the surge went to 14 feet, 3 feet beyond the record, and 2 beyond the most pessimistic models.
Also for those comparing it to Mississippi flooding, this clear water is saltwater, and more damaging to electronics. The subway system is electronic, everything from the gates to the power rails and train switching are going to have to be opened up and cleaned and inspected. One can hope that the train cars were moved to higher elevation before the system was shutdown.

Posted by kevinrs1

4th Nov

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If it can happen, it will. And this was predicted

as something that would happen, sooner or later.

The authorities, and most other people, kept hoping that, it never would happen.

But, mother nature, or whatever you want to call it, has a way of getting around your wishes, and making your life a lot more complicated than what people can ever design for.

Posted by adornoe

31st Oct

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Wow?????

I am sure there was a lot of terrible damage, but to show this video as an example is absurd. The water is so clear you can see the floor below it. Get a pump and pump it out. You guys have never been in a Mississippi river flood and had to dig out from several feet of mud after you pumped the water out. No dead fish seen either. Sorry for the people who were affected by the storm, but the media is lame.

Posted by jordy1669

31st Oct

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Yeah, the media is lame, but you...

Posted by confoundednj

5th Nov

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