Disaster-Proofing NYC Transit Subways in Lower Manhattan Aleksandr, Ben Chan, Pinhao Liang, Yash Bhardwaj

Hurricane Sandy Hit New York City in late October 2012 Deadliest hurricane of the 2012 season 2 nd costliest hurricane in United States history, only behind Hurricane Katrina Damages estimated to be around $50 billion for New York

Hurricane Sandy Devastated the New York City Transit System (esp. in lower Manhattan) Never in its 108 year history had the NYC subway ever witnessed such a storm Subways shut down for days before service resumed

South Ferry Station Suffered the worst from the hurricane About 30,000 riders were inconvenienced after the storm Escalators, tracks, signals, switches, turnstiles and other MetroCard equipment were significantly damaged Scheduled to reopen in a couple of years

South Ferry

Damage The third rail, which is responsible for propelling the trains, needs to cleaned Signal Systems that prevent train collisions will need to be evaluated.

For/Against Disaster Proofing Mayor Bloomberg does not see the need for spending $600 million on one station because he considers events like Hurricane Sandy very rare Governor Cuomo supports the idea. He believes that “the challenge is not just to build back, but to build back better than before”.

Policy History Timeline of storms affecting NYC subways 1999, Tropical Storm Floyd 2004, Hurricane Frances 2011, Hurricane Irene Hurricane Sandy

Current preventive measures Grates, pumps, sandbagging New experimental structures like hybrid useful grating. Photo credits:

MTA, not a financially healthy institution They have been using debt to finance capital improvement for decades. In 2009, rising debt costs and falling incomes create a debt crisis requiring immediate attention. Debt crisis has passed, but only through tough measures, and only in the short term.

MTA Revenues

MTA operational expenses

Grim prospects, or are they? MTA finances reduced by debt servicing; new cuts or savings must be found in new budget plans. It would seem that the MTA would be very cautious with their existing budget money.

Enter the MTA’s mega-projects The MTA has been funding projects to bring service to new areas including East Side Access, the Second Ave. Subway, and the 7 subway line extensions. These are multi-billion, several year long projects, that demonstrate the MTA’s priorities.

A silver lining… Capital projects are king with the MTA. They are High priority, and worth the debt in their eyes. Federal disaster relief money could be a source of funding for protective projects. Even the state received money for future protection purposes, of which some may be allocated for the MTA.

Major Policy Camps

In order for the city to prepare for future disaster, these policy camps need to form an uniform opinion. Being informed  Being aware  Being active  Being prepared  Being disaster READY!! Picture credits:

Major Policy Camps

Inflatable Stopper Developed by the Department of Homeland Security Designed to prevent water from getting in from tunnel entrances De-flatable and compacct Picture Credit: disaster-management-projectshttp:// disaster-management-projects

Steel Shutters For protecting equipment inside the stations Prevent debris from entering stations Picture Credit: Picture Credit: 59th_Street_New_Turnstile.jpg/

Alternatives: Japan Underground tunnels to store water Drained via giant turbines Water removed by sending it into the river Picture Credit: change-c40/index.html Picture Credit:

Alternative: Japan – Improbable Uses too much space Costs too much money Takes too much time to build

Our Recommendation

Advantages Uses very little space when not in use Cheaper than Japan’s tunnels Supporting American government by purchasing these American developed products

In perspective, Cost not as big as it seems Counter-args: Station repair Lost revenue Bad public image Lost productivity Better to protect few assets than have a large amount of ruined ones