Superstorm Sandy did a number on the New York City subway. When the hurricane hit in October 2012, rain and storm surge turned impermeable asphalt and concrete streets into rivers. Millions of gallons of seawater poured down subway entrances, manholes, and thousands of other openings to the subterranean spaces below. Between the total devastation of the South Ferry Station (which is still under reconstruction) and the nine flooded tunnels, the metro system sustained billions of dollars in damage.
Since then, the Metropolitan Transit Authority has been spending about $4 billion in mostly federal disaster funds to repair and harden its train yards andsubway tunnels.
