These models show places of localized flooding and the impacts of potential blocked storm drains and outfalls from sea level rise. The Department of Environmental Protection, the agency in charge of our water supply and sewer systems, developed two rain-based flood models: a moderate scenario based on two inches of rain per hour, and an extreme one based on three and a half inches per hour. To demonstrate the magnitude of the New York City subway system’s adaptation needs, Regional Plan Association (RPA) staff mapped station entrances and compared this information with flood models recently published by the Mayor’s Office of Resilience. While some observers have rightfully pointed out the subway system was not designed to account for climate change nearly one hundred years ago, the reality remains: our transit infrastructure is still unprepared for climate change, particularly rain-induced flash floods. For example, at 157th Street and in other neighborhoods, runoff water flooded streets, sidewalks, and stations because nearby drains and catch basins were either clogged or not designed to handle the magnitude of these flood events. Some causes of subway flooding are beyond the transit agency’s control. The agency has invested $2.6 billion in resiliency projects since Hurricane Sandy, including fortifying 3,500 subway openings like vents, staircases, and elevator shafts against flooding. Now, however, “ once-a-century” flood events occur every couple years, regularly inundating stations despite earnest efforts from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). Even on a dry day, about 14 million gallons of water are pumped out of the subway system.
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