Disaster-Proofing NYC Transit Subways in Lower

ManhattanAleksandr, Ben Chan, Pinhao Liang, Yash Bhardwaj

Hurricane Sandy• Hit New York City in late October 2012

• Deadliest hurricane of the 2012 season

• 2nd costliest hurricane in United States history, only behind Hurricane Katrina

• Damages estimated to be around $50 billion for New York

Hurricane SandyDevastated 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 StationSuffered 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

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 HistoryTimeline 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: http://www.cityandstateny.com/storm-proofing-the-mta/http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/01/three-in-one-flood-protection-benches-and-bike-parking-in-a-new-design/

MTA, not a financially healthy institutionThey 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.

Against:Local Politicians

TWU

Major Policy Camps

Supportive:

LM Subway RidersFederal

Government

Neutral:MTA Board

State Government

Other Commuters

Major Policy CampsIn 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: http://visionwellnesscenter.com/testimonials/

Major Policy CampsBeing Supportive

Lower-Manhattan Subway Riders: This group of people suffer the most since Sandy hit. Their usual commute routes have been alter.

Federal Government: Agency such as Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) provides funding for local government to support disaster

preparedness effort.

(EX. Hazard Mitigation Grant Program *Sandy related)

Major Policy CampsBeing Neutral

MTA Board: They are the decision makers of MTA. They represent various interest groups. Members have

to take both sides of the argument into decision making.

State Government: According to the Executive Law of 1978, NYS required its emergency management

committee to be active throughout the year. But it was not enforced.

Other Subway Commuters: Other commuters have mixed feelings about installing disaster preparedness

infrastructure stations in LM area.

Major Policy CampsBeing Against

Local Politicians: They are being known for being passionate when it comes to disaster relief. It’s not bad, but what’s behind it might be. A

political science study presents the 5 major mechanism that cause the voters’ and politicians’ behaviors towards disaster prevention.

Transport Workers Union: They are becoming a hindrance for MTA’s finances. They are actively fighting for more benefits for its members.

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: http://www.dhs.gov/infrastructure-protection-and-disaster-management-projects

Steel Shutters For protecting equipment

inside the stations

Prevent debris from entering stations

Picture Credit: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Christopher_Street_subway_entrance.jpg

Picture Credit: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/58/Lexington_Avenue-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: http://edition.cnn.com/2012/06/14/world/asia/tokyo-climate-change-c40/index.html

Picture Credit: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:AirBaltic_Boeing_737-500_turbine.jpg

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