Dangerous flooding drowns NYC subway stations under water
New York, New York – Throw a life jacket down there! Heavy rains and severe thunderstorms pummeled street level pedestrians on Thursday evening in New York, but those underground seem to have gotten the worst of it.
On Thursday at 5:55 PM, iPhone users in New York City got a blaring Emergency Alert from the National Weather Service.
"A flash flood warning is in effect for this area," it read. "This is a dangerous and life-threatening situation. Do not attempt to travel unless you are fleeing an area subject to flooding or under an evacuation order."
Yet, some commuters just couldn't stay in place, and travel they did.
Witness footage showed subway stations in Upper Manhattan and the Bronx doused with water surging down stairwells and through turnstile entrances.
Some MTA riders were not deterred and plowed through waist-deep water to catch their trains. They could have used swimmies and a flotation device to make things easier.
The videos have been shared online millions of times.
On Friday, TikTok user Katherine G. Mendoza posted a clip of the flooding, which has now gone viral with over six million views and thousands more on Instagram, with comedic commentary on the "New York determination."
"It's bad out here folks," Mendoza said. "People out here with the Missy Elliot garbage bags trying to make it to the train."
Above ground, Tropical Storm Elsa brought so much water that some Bronx residents seized the opportunity to break out their jet ski and cruise down the street!
The shocking clips of riders wading through the underground tunnels were reminiscent of scenes of Leo and Kate's escape from the sinking Titanic.
How did so much flooding happen?
The rain came down too fast for New York to be able to dodge the dump.
Some suggested the aggressive storm brought one of the highest amounts of rainfall-per-hour in Central Park on record.
"Obviously huge huge huge amount of rain in a short amount of time," MTA Interim President Sarah Feinberg said in a press conference afterwards. "2.8 inches in Central Park."
Many were left wondering how so much water could gather so quickly.
Feinberg explained that concrete above the station does not absorb rain, subsequently allowing water to penetrate through the vents, wall cracks, and down the stairs. Drains on the street level and inside the stations couldn't handle the surge, and uneven flooring inside the stations only added to the pooling problem.
She also said that traffic jams due to street flooding prevented pumping trucks and clean-up crews towing large equipment from arriving at stations fast enough to get ahead of the mess.
The fateful combination contributed to train suspensions and line shutdowns on Thursday and Friday, as overnight MTA crews worked to pump out the water.
Eric Adams, NYC's new Democratic nominee for mayor who will most likely take the reins in November, slammed the MTA after the events.
"This is what happens when the MTA makes bad spending decisions for decades," he tweeted on Thursday in response. "We need congestion pricing ASAP to protect stations from street flooding, elevate entrances and add green infrastructure to absorb flash storm runoff. This cannot be New York."
The flooding comes as the subway has recently returned to its full 24-hour operation since its limited service began during coronavirus last May. It had been closed overnight from 1 AM to 5 AM for almost a year.
Travelers have just started to trust underground mass transit again since widespread skepticism about its poor ventilation and sanitation during the pandemic has kept ridership low.
Coincidentally, the subway just emerged from its double state of emergency at the end of last month.
Governor Andrew Cuomo lifted the state's Covid-19 emergency executive order the same week as a four-year MTA state of emergency also expired. It was replaced instead on Wednesday by Cuomo's declaration of a disaster emergency on gun violence.
The MTA executive order allowed the system to approve emergency fixes more easily and expedite repairs.
After this week's subway flooding has arisen, it's clear there is still some work left to be done.
Cover photo: Collage: Screenshot/Instagram/whatisnewyork & Screenshot/Twitter/PaulleeWR