MTA preps for potential flooding, deploys extra efforts ahead of storm

The MTA says it has been working with the Department of Environmental Protection to make sure the drains are cleared out.

News 12 Staff

Oct 26, 2021, 12:51 AM

Updated 1,144 days ago

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The Metropolitan Transportation Association has extra crews out as the nor'easter heads towards New York City.
The MTA says that at no point did it expect the rain Monday night and Tuesday to be the same force as when the remnants of Ida overwhelmed the area.
It says the main issue will be flash flooding.
The MTA says it has been working with the Department of Environmental Protection to make sure the drains are cleared out.
It says the reason why the subways flooded so badly during Ida was that the sewage system was so overwhelmed. It acknowledged that updating the system needs to be a long-term project going forward.
For now, it says it doesn't expect it to be an issue for the incoming storm. The MTA tells News 12 it has deployed teams in large numbers across the city to try to manage any possible flash flooding.
The MTA has 900 pumps across the subway stations and extra efforts on 50 different subway stations where it has seen flooding happen time and time again.
Two of those stations, News 12 is told they are the 149th Street Grand Concourse in the Bronx and Utica Avenue over in Brooklyn.
The MTA says it plans to make sure everybody gets home safely and can get around safely Tuesday.
Officials tells News 12 that in the event that there are severe delays on the subway, it wants New Yorkers to know that they should be able to rely on the buses as another option to get around.