FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM SEPTEMBER 9, 2021 • THE QUEENS COURIER 27
LIRR coping with more ferocious weather
TIME TO SECURE OUR
SUBWAY SYSTEM
FROM FLOODING
In 2012, Superstorm Sandy resulted in
extensive fl ooding damage to the NYC
Transit subway system. In the aft ermath,
the Federal Transit Administration provided
billions in discretionary funding
under the Superstorm Sandy Recovery
and Resiliency program to MTA. Th is
supplemented over $1 billion in annual
Federal Transit Administration (FTA)
formula funding that has grown to $1.5
billion today. NYC Transit should have
learned from Superstorm Sandy which
of the 471 subway stations and 36 subway
lines were most vulnerable to fl ooding
or located in fl ood zones. Remedial
actions should have been completed years
ago. Fast forward to 2021. Aft er spending
emergency funds on upgrading and adding
additional sump pumps and securing
subway entrances, elevator shaft s and
street level air vents, there are still too
many subway stations and lines subject
to fl ooding aft er major rainstorms. Based
upon the most recent record storm as
a result of Hurricane Ida, NYC Transit
still needs to do more. NYC is the actual
owner of our NYC Transit bus and subway
system. MTA operates the system
based upon the 1953 Master Lease and
Operating Agreement. Consider adding
new pump rooms. Improve coordination
with NYC Department of Environmental
Protection to ensure there is adequate
stormwater and sewage system capacity
adjacent to stations and tracks.
Purchase additional mobile pumps and
pump trains. City Hall must provide adequate
funding to NYC Department of
Environmental Protection so they can
provide NYC Transit with the necessary
support to provide safe and reliable service
that 5 million pre-COVID-19 riders
count on.
Th ere needs to be additional capital
improvements in the current $51 billion
Five Year 2020 - 2024 Capital Plan to deal
with fl ooding. Funding is only provided
to bring seven of the 17 existing pump
rooms back to a state of good repair. Why
not program additional federal or local
funds to deal with this periodic problem?
Why not add additional capital improvements
in the pending MTA 2020 - 2040
20-Year Capital Plan to deal with this?
How many NYC Transit Bus,
Manhattan and Bronx Surface Transit
Operating Authority Bus, MTA Bus, NYC
Transit and Staten Island Railway subway
yard and shops are located in fl ood
zone areas? Have they all been upgraded
to deal with the next Superstorm Sandy?
Th e same should apply to all Long Island
and Metro-North Railroad stations, yards
and shops. Th e tracks serving the Bayside
and Great Neck Stations on the Port
Washington branch have on several occasions
aft er heavy rainstorms been subject
to fl ooding which impacted service.
Will the proposed new $2.05 LaGuardia
AirTrain station connection to the existing
NYC Transit and LIRR Willets Point
stations located near a fl ood zone be able
to handle potential fl ooding?
Subway and commuter rail riders
should not have to deal with continued
inconveniences every time there is a
major rainstorm.
Larry Penner, Great Neck
DON’T PROTEST, GET
VACCINATED!
I am outraged over the anti-COVID-19
vaccination protests around the country.
City, state and federal employees are
now required to get vaccinated, and if
they don’t, they could lose their jobs or be
tested once a week for the virus.
Th e argument seems to be that it is a
violation of their constitutional rights and
it violates their free will. Now my question
is how can a person have life, liberty and
the pursuit of happiness when more than
615,000 people have gotten sick or died
due to COVID-19, many of whom were
not vaccinated against the disease?
In my opinion, there seems to be too
many people who are concerned only
about themselves and don’t realize that
an unvaccinated person can infect many
people, including one’s own family members.
Let me also point out that many of
these same people don’t want their children
vaccinated and don’t want them
wearing masks in school. Another question:
Do they want to put their children’s
lives at risk?
Let me also point out I’m 72 years old
and my wife is 68, and we have gotten
both shots in addition to our fl u shot earlier
in the year. We also both wear masks
in public spaces. Th is was a good year for
us, in that neither of us got sick — not
even a cold.
So, please, everyone listen to science
and get vaccinated, because those you love
depend on you to do so.
Frederick R. Bedell Jr., Bellerose
oped
letters & comments
ASTORIANS CLEAN UP AFTER IDA // PHOTO BY DEAN MOSES
Send us your photos of Queens and you could see them online or in our paper! To
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@QNS or email editorial@qns.com (subject: Queens Snaps).
BY PHIL ENG
It seems like the
storms that come
our way keep getting
more ferocious
— but
they’re no match
for the skill and
dedication of our
workforce.
Last week, the remnants of Hurricane
Ida dropped a historic amount of rain
over a short period of time Wednesday
into Th ursday, causing fl ash fl ooding,
fallen trees, power outages and track
damage across our service area.
When visibility became near zero,
we knew we needed to suspend service
to keep customers and our employees
safe. We’ve dealt with rain-heavy storms
before, and we knew the kind of devastation
that Ida was causing elsewhere. So
we suspended service systemwide around
12:30 a.m. on Th ursday, Sept. 2 — but, in
less than four hours, the brave men and
women of the LIRR did what they do
best: they responded in harrowing conditions
to get service up and running again
as quickly as possible.
Working around the clock, we restored
full service to nine of our 11 branches
before noon on Th ursday. Crews
worked nonstop Th ursday to bring the
Port Washington Branch back online, a
successful eff ort that allowed us to run
with partial service restored on the entire
branch by the p.m. peak.
Damage from the massive amount of
rain was widespread: crews cleared debris
that fl ooded down onto the tracks as
well as in switches. At several locations,
they addressed what we call “wash-outs,”
where the ballast beneath the tracks has
been washed away, as well as “wash-ins,”
where sand and mud washed over and
covered the tracks in several areas.
While we had extra crews and equipment
at the ready to respond, our storm
prep does not start mere hours or days
before we know a storm is about to hit.
As we’ve seen more and more in recent
years, weather threats facing the entire
MTA system aren’t just about coastal
fl ooding.
Climate change has led to fl ash fl oods
that have severely impacted the entire
system, including at higher elevations.
Over the past three years, our heroic
workforce has been working with determination
to make our system the most
resilient it’s ever been, which helps us
mitigate impacts from Mother Nature
and prepare for storms like Ida. Th is
important work will continue throughout
the entire system.
I’m certain that because of these eff orts,
we were able to avoid and limit many
impacts that we would have otherwise
expected from this record rainfall,
enabling us to more quickly restore service
for those that need it.
I’m immensely proud of the team and
the work that gets done — before, during
and aft er major weather events. As
we move on from Ida, we’ll continue to
fortify our system for whatever Mother
Nature throws our way. You can rest
assured that the people of the Long Island
Rail Road will keep you safe and get you
where you need to go. It’s a way of life for
us, 24/7, and we do it with great pride.
Phil Eng is president of MTA Long Island
Rail Road.
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