Odd as it may seem, water in itself is not the problem.

In the case of older subway systems, we cannot reasonably expect them to be relocated over the next few decades.

So what can cities do to better protect aging subways systems? Essentially city officials are cleaning up the mess after the storm, rather than taking measures like relocating infrastructure or protecting it. Warmer oceans means more moisture in the atmosphere, and as that moisture encounters cold air, it all comes down on the cities like the proverbial cats and dogs.īut despite having a couple of decades to do something about it, we are still in a reactive mode rather than being proactive. I think the message should be pretty clear by now: Climate change isn’t a matter of the future its effects are happening right now. Meanwhile, we have seen similar floods in cities across America and the world. In New York over the last month or so we have had three subway floods – first due to a heavy downpour, then from Tropical Storm Henri and now Hurricane Ida. Are instances of major subway floods increasing? And if so, why?

We spoke with Klaus Hans Jacob, a geophysicist and flood expert who analyzed New York’s subway system before and after 2012’s Hurricane Sandy, about the ongoing – and increasing – flood risk to coastal underground transportation systems and what city planners can do to prepare and protect. But the Big Apple isn’t alone – over the last year we have seen similar images in other major cities, including London and Zhengzhou in China. Subway stations in New York were inundated with water following heavy rain on Sept.

Subway china flood