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Subscribe to RSSMTA spokesman Kevin Ortiz tells MSNBC's Chris Jansing that water has infiltrated some of the subway tunnels in New York City and describes what it will take the get the system running again.
Andrew Kelly / Reuters
A deluge floods the Brooklyn-Battery tunnel in Manhattan as Hurricane Sandy made its approach in New York on Monday.
Updated at 12:34 a.m. Tuesday ET: Storm water flooded parts of lower Manhattan on Monday night, pouring into the Brooklyn-Battery and Queens Midtown tunnels, bursting into a subway station and even cascading into the construction site at Ground Zero.
The floodwater appeared to be receding around just after midnight Tuesday morning.
Superstorm Sandy made landfall in New Jersey, but its wide wingspan crossed the Tri-State area, shutting off power to millions in the region and forcing the residents of the nation's biggest city to stay indoors. Most of Manhattan below 39th Street was without power, Con Edison spokesman Bob McGee told NBCNewYork.com.
New York City’s Office of Emergency Management sent out blast alerts to phones across the city: “Go indoors immediately and stay inside. DO NOT DRIVE. Call 9-1-1 for emergencies only.”
Mayor Michael Bloomberg spoke directly to New Yorkers, emphasizing that those who didn’t leave when the warnings were issued now stay put, stay away from windows and close the drapes.
“The time to leave has passed,” Bloomberg said. “Do not go outside. It is dangerous.”
He told limo and taxi drivers to stay off the road and asked that residents not dial 9-1-1 unnecessarily. The mayor said the emergency line was receiving 10,000 calls per half hour; typical is about 1,000 calls per half hour.
Floodwater is now receding following significant flooding in the lower Manhattan area of New York City, blocks from the World Trade Center site. WNBC's Ida Siegal reports.
About 250,000 people left Manhattan. That’s short of the 375,000 people who live within six and seven feet of sea level and who were ordered to leave the city.
At Battery Park at the southern tip of Manhattan, the water level rose to a record-breaking 13.88 feet. The previous record was 11.2 feet, set in 1821.
Photos posted to social media told the story: A haunting image of a lit carousel halfway submerged in Brooklyn; what appeared to be a waterfall pouring into a parking garage, running over cars; water gushing into a Hoboken, N.J. subway station, through an elevator door and past the turnstiles. One photo provided by The Associated Press showed water running down into a construction site at Ground Zero.
John Minchillo / AP
Water floods the Ground Zero construction site on Monday in New York after Sandy came ashore to the south.
On Staten Island, rescuers responded in boats at the water line rose, reaching the attics of some homes, NBCNewYork.com reported. Reports from Coney Island and Brighton Beach indicated that ocean water had started making its way through the streets.
A New York Times story from September discussed what might happen to New York if struck by a storm stronger than Hurricane of Irene during August 2011. Ultimately, Irene “weakened to a tropical storm and spared the city, but it exposed how New York is years away from – and billions of dollars short of – armoring itself,” the story said. According to the story:
The most vulnerable systems, like the subway tunnels under the Harlem and East Rivers, would have been unusable for nearly a month, or longer, at an economic loss of about $55 billion, said Dr. Jacob, an adviser to the city on climate change and an author of the 2011 state study that laid out the flooding prospects.
Across the Hudson River in Jersey City, N.J., City Hall and the Jersey City Medical Center were surrounded by water, the Jersey Journal reported. Fire Director Armando Roman said, according to the Journal, that he was on his way to a building when rising waters trapped his vehicle.
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How could Obama have allowed this to happen. Mitt would have never let this happen to his bankster buddies on Wall Street.
ha ha ha ....good one!!!
wonder if romney still thinks FEMA is immoral?
Grazed...He will have to get back to you on that. His handlers will not let hi say anything lately unless they ok it.
Yep, wait until Romney/Ryan cut 22% from the federal budget. Then we'll see what's left.
http://www.cbpp.org/images/cms/1-23-12bud-f1.jpg
Don't worry, to calm the post-Super-storm nerves of the several million six-figure income government employees at Local, State, and Federal levels, the Obama administration will buy them each new $5k swivel chairs. After all, they cannot be expected to sit on the chairs they were bought in 2010, it would be imhumane.
Meanwhile: The taxpayers are hungry, losing more and more homes, and stupid people continue to whorship Barack Obama as a golden saint.
Useful idiots support RMoney!
actually only morons support RMoney or Obummer... they are both losers and both the democratic and republicans are monsters! This country is being judged for its wickedness...
You can bet that no matter how successful the government's response is the republicans will be out in droves blaming the President and NY Mayor Bloomberg for anything that goes wrong in the rescue and cleanup.
Remember how Bush and his minions accused people critical of his policies as being un-American. Just wait to see what happens as the post-Sandy recovery begins.
Leave it to the liberals to start accessing the blame. Liberalism is a disease. I think you might be more concerned with the people involved and property damage. You need help.
True. That is the American way. It transcends parties, and it works both ways.
The shoe shifts to the other foot. Republicans will be critical, and the same Democrats who excoriated Bush will be saying this is no time for political commentary.
God bless all those emergency personnel! There's clearly climate change, as this never happened in any recent memory and I'm 75!
I just saw Mr Romney said it was "IMMORAL" to spend money on saving people with FEMA, because it'd burden future generations?! What is he ON? But spending trillions more on the military that they didn't ask for is moral? He's such a horribly callous selfish man. Don't you dare support that cretin, as he's clear he's only for the millionaires like himself.
Do you bless the volunteers risking their lives or only the mafia trade union government employees?
Shush Jeff, everyone knows Mary is right about Romney. He'd trade his soul for a dollar, but the guy has no soul to sell. Judging someones character has nothing to do with what political party you support, and Romney is bad news like G.W. Bush.
You are so far to the left it's ridiculous. Thought of moving to Canada or Cuba?
Apparently you had other things on your mind in the 1950's
Denver Bill
You are so right. I was 5 years old when Hurricane Betsy roared into NC - as a kid, I was really impressed with the ferocity of that storm - Sandy brings back memories of that storm in particular - 1955.
Perhaps MB 331... is a promoter of Al's days of natural disaster ahead speech? In 1955 MB was a teen ager and am sure "had other things on her mind"!
Seems Trump Taj Mahal was the intended landfall and with disaster relief, he can become one of the 47%. Hopefully NYC will drain out quickly now that the water is receding.
I'm sure that Job Creator Trump will pass on any FEMA aid money or federally subsidized Flood Insurance payouts. He would never burden the people with his selfish lazy needs. That's what makes him one of the 53% that counts. He just needs to tug those bootstraps (or his congressman's johnson) and the Taj will be fixed.
If God is truely in charge, then He sent the storm. Maybe He is trying to scrub New York clean. If that doesn't work, maybe He will use fire next time.
You're also sick.
No, no. God only did this to punish us for the gays. That's how God works. He LOVES the NYC Job Creators.
Guitarma,
Your medical and psychological diagnostic skills are amazing! Other than showing them off, what's your point? Maybe you'd care to expound with more than three words?
Hopefully something positive will come from this such as awareness of the dire need to rebuild our infrastructure from the ground up. Good luck folks and be kind to your neighbors!
Who's idea to build such a huge city that close to sea level in the first place? I've lived in Florida and S.C. my whole life and they get much worse. If barely Cat 1 was such a huge disaster imagine a Cat 4 or 5. Anyway good luck NY, you need it tonight more than ever.
Kittstal, sea level is higher now than when they build those cities. It's about 7 inches higher now than 1900. I haven't seen any studies on how sea level in 1640 in New York compares with today. Maybe someone out there knows. Sea level has been rising since the end of the last ice age, and is rising faster due to global warming.
Mary Beth is a bible-thumping liberal idiot!!!!!! Romney wants people to suffer? Romney wouldn't help the stricken city or people? You ARE sick!
Liberalism is a disease!
Idiot Romney and Ryan want to close FEMA. What a couple of fools. Imagine these two clowns running the United States! Nice , comfortable 80 degrees here in beautiful ChiangRai, Thailand and no hurricanes. Sure glad I retired and left the USA.
ChiangRai, Thailand is worse then the best ghetto areas of the USA. Except for the tourist areas the place is crime ridden and corrupt. Your facts about FEMA and Romney and Ryan are totally UNTRUTH.
Ray-2194047..I hate to burst your bubble but I just watched Romney's speech online where he said exactly that he wanted to shut FEMA and give the responsibility to the states. Since I have lived here in ChiangRai for 11 years, you don't have a clue as to what you are talking about, sorry. Only a fool opens his mouth and proves without a doubt that he doesn't know what is coming from his mouth. Even a fish wouldn't get caught if he kept his mouth shut! My 3 bd home here cost me about $35,000 and would sell in Seattle for about $250,000. I have lunch in a 4 star hotel for under $5. My electric bill for a month with a/c never exceeds $60.
Unless your looking to hide from the world nobody in there right mind would ever live in ChiangRai, Thailand.
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/opinion/55170586-82/romney-federal-government-budget.html.csp
Here is your Romney speech on FEMA, RAY
You wouldn't know, Mr Non Logic. u picked the wrong call sign.
What are you trafficking women for the sex trade ? child labor business ? Chiang Rai is known around the world for being the capital of such crimes.
Logis physicists... You haven't a clue about the subject, so why say anything at all? Must be something you read somewhere. Maybe you are thinking if KohSumoi or Pattaya or maybe ever Bangkok...I just don't know, but I know as a fact, you haven't a clue about northern Thailand. You are 100% wrong!
Actually , I am a retired U.S. Govertment Air Traffic Controller and disabled Korean war vet. And you?...I paid your dues.
Hey RAY...Cat got your tongue?
Why do you live there ? Your a a retired U.S. Government Air Traffic Controller and disabled Korean war vet. There are a million places in the USA you can live just fine. What's the reason ? Marry a young girl ? What ?
Global warming is eventually going to make our planet unlivable.
Vote, I suggest, for politicians who believe it exists and want to counteract it, not half-wits who describe attacking the problem as "worrying about the weather." If you had seen last night's weather, you would worry a great deal.
karma