670,000 Without Power in NYC; Flood Crests 13.88 Feet, Besting 1960 Record of 10.02 Feet; Wall Street Flooded

The good news for New York City is the storm crest has peaked. The bad news is the cleanup will take days, or longer, and much of the city is blacked-out.

Please consider Hurricane Sandy’s Waters Flood Blacked-Out New York City.

Hurricane Sandy sent floodwater gushing into New York’s five boroughs, submerging cars, tunnels and the subway system and plunging skyscrapers and neighborhoods into darkness. Two deaths were reported in Queens and more than 670,000 were without power in the region as of 11:30 p.m. local time yesterday, according to Consolidated Edison Inc.

The company cut electricity to some areas to save its equipment and a transformer exploded at a plant on 14th Street, blacking out others. New York University evacuated its Langone Medical Center when it went dark and backup systems failed.

After the storm’s tide crested about 8 p.m., the East River topped its seawall in the Financial District and flowed up Wall Street in a torrent that turned avenues into canals and intersections into lakes. Flooding took over Brooklyn’s Red Hook neighborhood, submerging cars to the roof, while the Gowanus Canal overflowed and tree limbs plummeted.

A flood gauge at Battery Park, at the southernmost end of Manhattan, registered at 13.88 feet as of 9:24 p.m., beating the modern record of 10.02 feet in September 1960 during Hurricane Donna, the National Weather Service said.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority was investigating water entering a subway tunnel in Lower Manhattan, said Charles Seaton, spokesman for the largest U.S. transit agency, which stopped its 24-hour system for weather for only the second time in its 108-year history. There’s no way to tell when the system run again, he said.

The Lincoln Tunnel was the only major crossing in and out of Manhattan by about 8:30 p.m. The Brooklyn Battery Tunnel and the Queens Midtown Tunnel both had flooding, according to Ortiz.

Anything electrical that salt water touches is likely ruined. If those subway systems were badly-flooded, there are going to be serious repercussions. We will know more Tuesday morning.

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com