NYC Transit Copes with Massive Flooding, Threats to Public Safety

Hurricane Sandy is the most devastating natural disaster to hit New York City in 74 years, since the hurricane of 1938 killed ten and knocked out much of the City's mass transit system. Then, as now, members of TWU Local 100 stepped up to the challenge, coping with flooded train stations and tubes, shorted electrical components, and massive devastation caused by wind and rain. Whereas the hurricane of 1938 knocked out power in all areas above 59th Street and in the Bronx, Sandy did the opposite -- crippling Manhattan below midtown and much of Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten island. A large majority of TWU Local 100 members reported to bus depots, where they are preparing to restore bus service and supplement the crippled subway system. Men and women from power, hydraulics, track, and signals are on the job assessing the damage to the subways. We will keep our members and the public updated as the recovery from this devastating storm continues.