Posted on 08/08/2007 6:18:39 AM PDT by NYer
Transit officials are urging New Yorkers to delay their morning commute after severe weather flooded numerous subway stations and roads throughout the area early this morning, leading to massive mass transit delays during the morning rush.
NYC Transit says the subway system cannot handle the morning rush, and that it will take some time to pump enough water out of the system to get service back up and running normally.
"No subway line right now that is running at full normal of its route, so if people are at home, they're about to leave their house, advice to you is don't,” said Paul Fleuranges of NYC Transit. “If you can delay your commute, if you can go in a little later, do so cause right now we probably can't handle you and we probably can't get you from point A to point B."
A heavy storm with tornado-like winds ripped the roofs off several houses in the Bay Ridge section of Brooklyn, damaging several houses and downing a number of trees.
Flatbush residents also reported damaged houses and crushed cars along several blocks.
Power outages were also reported on Staten Island as a result of flooding.
The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for the southeast area of New York City shortly before 6:30 a.m.
As of 7 a.m., the MTA was reporting no R Train subway service between the Canal Street Station and the DeKalb Avenue Station due to flooding at the Lawrence Street and the Canal Street Stations.
Due to flooding at the Times Square-42nd Street Station, shuttle service was unavailable between Grand Central-42nd Street Station and the Times Square-42nd Street Station.
Due to a smoke condition at the Borough Hall Station, there was no 2 or 3 train service in both directions between the Wall Street Station and the Borough Hall Station.
Buses in Manhattan were also being rerouted.
In addition, LIRR service on the Port Washington Branch was suspended in both directions due to a flooding condition at Bayside, with alternate bus service being provided.
Metro North is also reporting no service into or out of Grand Central Terminal on the Hudson, Harlem or New Haven lines because of flooding between the Mott Haven and Melrose sections of the Bronx.
How long before the “Bush’s fault” crowd surfaces?
A micro-burst with straight line winds can cause this type of damage too, not necessarily tornadic.
Nah! It’s global warming! Just read this:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2007/aug/07/disasters
It will be 9-11 all over again.
So that means raw sewage is going into the rivers right now also. Nice.
It took me 3 hours to do a 45 minute train commute from Brooklyn today. Didn’t see much wind or tornado. Lots of Thunder and Lightning. Trains were a mess. On the F line they said take the M or R. On the R they use the F.
Curious....... what does a subway token cost these days?... It’s been 40 yrs or so since I was in the area and back then it was maybe 15 cents, don’t remember for sure.
Its two dollars. Going up next year again.
And they don’t use tokens any longer. It’s all metro cards.
Update as of 9:37 am
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/08/08/flooding-cripples-subway-system/?hp
Snippet:
“As of 8:45 a.m., the Long Island Rail Road reported scattered disruptions, and delays of up to a half hour throughout its system, but the Metro-North Railroad reported at 8:50 a.m. that service on all three of its lines had been restored, although significant delays coming in to Grand Central Terminal remain. Delays were also reported on New Jersey Transit and PATH commuter lines.
The region’s three major airports — La Guardia, Kennedy and Newark — all reported flight cancellations and delays.”
And they don’t use tokens any longer. It’s all metro cards.
If someone spits on the tracks, the LIRR has disruptions.
My guess is by post #2.
Nothing on the Today show.
Is this a case of a couple of inches of rain taxing the neglected infrastructure of a large urban area?
The LIRR is awful...
Would this warning be the one that impacted NYC?
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN UPTON NY HAS ISSUED A
* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
SOUTHERN QUEENS COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST NEW YORK...
SOUTHWESTERN NASSAU COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST NEW YORK...
EASTERN KINGS COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST NEW YORK...
* UNTIL 715 AM EDT...
* AT 644 AM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR CANARSIE...
OR ABOUT NEAR CROWN HEIGHTS...MOVING EAST AT 15 MPH.
* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
JAMAICA BY 700 AM...
KENNEDY AIRPORT BY 705 AM...
CEDARHURST BY 710 AM...
WOODMERE...VALLEY STREAM...LYNBROOK AND ATLANTIC BEACH BY 715 AM.
WHEN A TORNADO WARNING IS ISSUED BASED ON DOPPLER RADAR...IT MEANS
THAT STRONG ROTATION HAS BEEN DETECTED IN THE STORM. A TORNADO MAY
ALREADY BE ON THE GROUND...OR IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP SHORTLY. IF YOU
ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS DANGEROUS STORM...MOVE INDOORS AND TO THE
LOWEST LEVEL OF THE BUILDING. STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS. IF DRIVING...DO
NOT SEEK SHELTER UNDER A HIGHWAY OVERPASS.
HEAVY RAINFALL MAY OBSCURE THIS TORNADO. TAKE COVER NOW! IF YOU WAIT
TO SEE OR HEAR IT COMING...IT MAY BE TOO LATE TO GET TO A SAFE PLACE.
LAT...LON 4071 7391 4062 7394 4056 7361 4070 7358
GOODMAN
“Is this a case of a couple of inches of rain taxing the neglected infrastructure of a large urban area?”
Nope, NYC, NE NJ, Long Island...were all crushed this morning with wicked storms. Tornado wanrings extended from Staten Island through Kings County at the height of the storms. Luckily, living on the south shore of the island about 40 miles east of the City I saw only heavy rain and some moderate wind...west of me was hit much harder, heavier rain, probably 3” in one hour, and heavy winds with possible tornado touching down. Just an awful morning....Now we get 90 to 95 and dewpoints sniffing at 80 degrees with all the water in the air...
“George Bush doesn’t care about Jewish people.”
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