Brian Lehrer: All right. There you heard, live coverage of Mayor Adams and Governor Hochul and Emergency Services Director for New York City Zach Iscol, declaring a state of emergency because of the heavy rain. The mayor advised people to shelter in place. He used that phrase. He told people, if you're near a subway station, do not enter it. He cautioned people not to think it's over just because the rain stops for a while, it's supposed to keep being bad in waves with up to 8 inches of rain possible in the city. 8 inches of rain is crazy. 8 inches of snow is one thing, but 8 inches of rain, it never happens and has very different implications.
The governor emphasized that it's a life-threatening rain. Also, to remember, it's going to be really bad on and off today, even if there is a gap where you are at the moment. The governor said we lose more lives during a flooding event than many other kinds of weather, and that happens largely when people are swept away in their cars. The governor said airline flights are coming and going but with delays and that Terminal A at LaGuardia is closed because of flooding.
Then New York City Emergency Services Director Zach Iscol said his main concerns are highway flooding, basement flooding, and the impacts on the MTA. For those of you who do experience damage as a result of this, once we get into the recovery phase, he says you can call 311 to start the assistance process. With us now for a few minutes is the Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine. Borough President, thanks for joining us on short notice during this emergency.
Mark Levine: Hi, Brian. How are you?
Brian Lehrer: Good. It was sounding a little bit like the worst of it is in Brooklyn. What's your sense of the state of things in Manhattan?
Mark Levine: Well, the rain totals had the highest registered rain so far in the city in Central Park at 5 and a quarter inches. Perhaps there's not as good monitoring in Brooklyn. I know it's been very bad there, but this has been an extreme rain event in Manhattan. I don't think we've seen 5 inches fall that quickly outside of a hurricane. This is really an extraordinary and dangerous event.
Brian Lehrer: In addition to what I just summarized from the mayor and the governor and the Emergency Services director, do you think are the most important things for people in our area to keep in mind?
Mark Levine: Well, first of all, the subway system has largely been disrupted. Every line is either out of service or severely delayed. It's going to be very difficult to reset the system with more rain expected in the afternoon. Actually, I was speaking to the governor shortly about this. They're working hard to get this up and running for the afternoon rush. They've got a backup system for buses. I'm particularly concerned about all the kids who are at school right now and worried about how we can get so many kids back home without a functioning subway system, particularly if there's heavy rain expected in the afternoon, which seems to be a distinct possibility.
Brian Lehrer: What are some of the options for getting kids home if you even have any yet?
Mark Levine: Well, at the moment, the MTA is saying they have a backup system of extensive bus lines to replace out-of-service subways. I don't know yet what that's going to look like. I'm expecting updates soon if that's going to indeed to be the backup plan. I'm just hoping that we get a break on the rain. If indeed we get another 2 or 3 more inches, this is going to be challenging. By the way, Brian, your analogy to snow, 1 inch of rain is equivalent to 1 foot of snow.
Brian Lehrer: Yes.
Mark Levine: As people think about the scale of this, it's like we just got 5 feet of snow and they get 2 or 3 more in a single day.
Brian Lehrer: I saw a report earlier that some afterschool programs are going on, some are canceled. Do you have anything more specific on that?
Mark Levine: I have not gotten word on the system-wide decision on that. I think they're going to have a tough choice on whether to send people home or not if there's not a good transportation option, so we'll be waiting for word from the DOE.
Brian Lehrer: What about afterwards when people start to realize how much damage may have been done to their properties, what is the best thing to do if they need assistance in fixing things up?
Mark Levine: Well, first, it's important to determine whether you have a matter that impacts life and safety, in which case you have to call 911. Down trees can be a nuisance, in which case you would call 311. They can also really impact life and safety, for example, if they are precariously hanging over a building and could harm someone if they fall. Also, it's important to report obstruction. Obstruction of traffic signals as well, I believe, would warrant the 911 call. It's important that people report what they see out there.
Brian Lehrer: Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, thank you very much for hopping on with us. That's The Brian Lehrer Show for today. Great work by our whole team with the special coverage of the weather and the death of Dianne Feinstein. Mary Croke, Lisa Allison, Amina Srna, Carl Boisrond, Esperanza Rosenbaum, Juliana Fonda at the audio controls. I'm Brian Lehrer. Stay safe out there and stay tuned for Alison.
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