Flood report proposes keeping water out of the subway tunnels

Conceptual drawings for two of the three designs that would serve to keep water out of the subway tunnels. (Source: The MTA)

Six weeks later, the MTA is ready to tackle deep-seated institutional problems that came to the forefront in a terrible flood. Yesterday, the MTA released its report (available here as a PDF) on the August 8 subway floods. The report calls for the Authority to change and improve practices in four areas.

According to the study, “the severity, timing and lack of warning of the August 8 storm hindered storm preparations and exposed the vulnerabilities of several aspects of the MTA’s transportation system.” The tunnels flooded because large volumes of water poured into the subway, overwhelming already-overtaxed pumps. The drains were further clogged by debris from the storm itself.

At the peak of the problems, when nearly every single subway line was suffering from service changes, the MTA employees “could not provide alternative travel options, and customers had difficulty gaining access to timely and accurate information.”

Now, readers of this site will know that I have long criticized the MTA on its communications efforts. In fact, the MTA employees generally know things long after everyone else does. We also knew back in July before the flood that the pumps along the Queens Boulevard line were in need of an upgrade. But now that this report has been issued, the MTA is freeing up the resources for key long-standing issues that should improve service in weather emergencies.

The report gives us a glimpse into the future of storm preparedness at the MTA:

Operationally, Doppler radar is being installed in each agency’s operations center, an MTA-wide Emergency Response Center has been created, and new storm protocols will be put in place to guide alternative service.

Engineering solutions target the top ten flood-prone locations … with an action plan already in place. Solutions for the remaining locations will be developed over the next 60-90 days, working with NYC DOT and DEP, drawing from a toolbox of potential fixes to both prevent water inflow and to remove it once it flows in, including installing check valves to prevent backflow, pursuing better sewer connections, increasing pumping capacity, pre-deploying portable pumps and personnel, installing closeable vents and constructing step-ups at station stairwell entrances that flood. Innovative street furniture will be considered to raise vents at key locations.

Communications solutions include email and text message alerts, cell phone service on subway platforms, web site upgrades, advancing new public address technologies and improving communications between ops centers and field personnel with PDAs and Blackberries.

These are common-sense solutions to problems that should have been solved long before the flood hit. But it took a flood of epic proportions for the MTA to commit $30 million to short-term fixes and untold millions to long-term solutions to critical communications and engineering issues.

For his part, MTA CEO Elliot “Lee” Sander said all the right things yesterday while discussing the report and the MTA’s institutional problems. “While the August 8 storm was the most severe in memory, it is clear that the MTA must do more for our customers in extreme situations,” he said. “The solutions identified in this report will dramatically improve our ability to handle future emergencies and ensure that we will better communicate with our customers 365 days a year.”