Instead, he and his coworkers were stranded due to mass flooding from Hurricane Ida.

“Our job had no choice but to book a block of hotel rooms for all of us who got stuck because we had no way to get home,” Santiago said. “There were no taxis [or] Uber. Everything shut down.”

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is now enacting short and long-term plans to help keep the flooding to a minimum for New York residents, given the damage after Ida.

They pumped out 75 million gallons of water after Ida, said Acting Chair and Chief Executive Officer of the MTA Janno Lieber in a recent board meeting. Costs reported to the Federal Emergency Management Agency were estimated around $75-100 million, Lieber said. 

Nightmare at New York City subway! Passengers jumping through a gushing waterfall. Unbelievable! #Ida #Hurricane #NY #nycwx #NYC #flooding #nycsubway #Philadelphia #Nj #ViralVideo #climate #weather pic.twitter.com/G6ggHMIhsj

— pragiya (@ucatchpragiya) September 2, 2021

Like Santiago, Bushwick resident Alex Etling also struggled to get home during the flooding, although at first, he didn’t anticipate the severity of the damage.

“I was heading home on the L train, got off at the Jefferson stop, and heard the massive rush of water across the platform as soon as the doors opened,” Etling said. “I didn’t have a specific backup plan … The city so rarely shuts down the subway, I wasn’t expecting any major issues, though I likely should have given the severity of the storm.”

New pump trains, grouting, station ventilators, pump rooms and deep wells are some of the ways the MTA is working to reduce the flood damage, according to an MTA spokesperson. But New York residents aren’t confident anything will improve.

“I’ve told the MTA at least eight to 10 times about 36 Street’s ginormous leak like a waterfall, [and at] 86 Street, the flood waters [are] pushing the train to its side before entering the station,” Santiago said. “They never reply or just say ‘We’ll let station maintenance know’ and nothing changes.”

Over 20 subway lines were suspended due to the flood left in Ida’s wake. 

A torrent of water poured into a New York subway station Wednesday night as remnants of #HurricaneIda unleashed dangerous flash floods and tornadoes across the Northeast https://t.co/fYrX9zQKqi pic.twitter.com/ekke5dbANJ

— CNN (@CNN) September 2, 2021

“The subway system is not a submarine,” Lieber said. “It cannot be made impervious to water. We just need to limit how quickly it can get into the system and help the city to figure out how to do more drainage at the street level.”

As more rain fell, the city’s sewers could not contain the amount of water, and thus entered the subway system as a second sewage network, the MTA spokesperson said. 

“I love the subways but it’s really tough when it fails you and all they say is ‘Sorry’ and do it again,” Santiago said. “These issues are continuing to persist with no fix.” 

Before a flood or severe weather, the MTA prepares by placing pumps with portable generators and making sure ventilators are covered, according to the MTA. 

Additionally, the MTA has installed raised vent gratings and water flow moderators at 25 stations that have been hit consistently when storms happen. Vent cleaning has also been implemented in 40,000 locations as part of the MTA’s Subway Action Plan amounting to over $130 million. 

Santiago said the flooding has gotten worse, calling it a “toxic combination” of both climate change and wear and tear of the infrastructure.  

“There’s [electricity], there’s water, there’s rats, garbage,” he said. “This is dangerous … It’s beyond okay to just ignore the climate crisis and its effect on the MTA.”

Etling also blamed the floods’ severity on climate change. 

“The subway system in NYC is also very old, with many systems in disrepair and maintained with very old parts,” he said. “I think after [Hurricane] Sandy, flooding in the subway is taken more seriously, but overall, I don’t think New York City is adequately prepared for the effects of climate change.” 

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“I don’t think in the history of the MTA it’s seen anything close to the magnitude of what—from a financial perspective—the MTA is facing,” said Schwartz, in response to the Chief Financial Officer Robert Foran’s detailing of the agency’s fiscal crisis. 

Its operating budget, estimated at $17 billion for 2020, is projected to lose 45% of its funding, primarily due to the loss of ridership in the first half of the year. The $4 billion of emergency funding received from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) only covers a fraction of this deficit.

“If the federal government doesn’t come through with additional federal aid, the magnitude of this problem is just that much worse,” said Schwartz.

The MTA had already braced for a loss of funding for other projects, namely its groundbreaking 2020-2024 Capital Program, a $51 billion undertaking that aims to revamp much of the outdated transit systems in the city and the state. But as the meeting wore on, it became clear that more needed to be done.

“Right now our focus is on the $3.9 billion to get us through 2020,” said Patrick Foye, Chairman and CEO of the MTA. “The immediate deficit and the immediate financial crisis.”

The MTA’s future is as clear as this subway tunnel. Photo by Daniel Girma

The MTA capital programs, multi-year initiatives that cover a wide array of projects, have a complicated funding process. It is a delicate balance between allocating its own revenue, borrowing, and securing funding from the federal, state, and municipal governments. The 2015-19 Capital Program, which cost $29 billion, was covered mostly by MTA revenue and an $8.3 billion commitment from Governor Andrew Cuomo. 

But the 2020-24 program, over $20 billion more than the previous one, was expecting to get a large boost from NYC’s congestion pricing tax, as new internet tax and estate tax for mansions. This, along with the other conventional funding sources, have been completely upended by the shutdown. 

The crisis doesn’t stop there. Even projects that were initiated under the previous capital program and slated to continue under the current program have been affected by the loss in revenue.

“The 20-24 program as well as a great deal of the remaining 15-19 work is essentially on hold,” said Janno Lieber, Chief Development Officer of the agency. “Flagship programs in the capital program are being delayed.” 

Among these are the vital accessibility upgrades that would provide access to 70 stations across the city for its disabled residents.

“That initiative, which was well along in procurement before the covid crisis hit, is on hold,” said Lieber.

There have been some bright spots. The drop in ridership and new late-night closing of the subway has allowed for the acceleration of station and tunnel repairments across the system.

“We were able to identify opportunities to get more access to work areas and extended outages,” said Lieber. “But those are frankly exceptions.”

With endemic funding all but dried up, board members admitted that the agency would have to start prioritizing projects in order to stay afloat.

“One of the suggestions I’m going to make is that the MTA start breaking things down in various categories on what is essential and what is deemed non-essential,” said Schwartz. “It’s going to end up being a combination of things, and all of those things are going to be tough and hard to implement and approve.” 

Schwartz stressed that fares could not be increased, and that the agency should not apply for loans to cover the deficit. 

“I don’t think we can borrow our way out  of this problem,” he said.

Board members continuously emphasized the necessity for more federal support. The Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act (HEROES), a follow up relief bill that passed the House in May, promises nearly $15.75 billion in aid for public transportation, with $11.75 billion dedicated for cities of over 3 million people. State legislators from both sides of the aisle have voiced their support for the bill.Representatives 

“Eighteen  of the most prominent New York State republican elected officials signed a letter to senate leader Mitch Mcconnell arguing that the HEROES Act or any COVID relief bill must include adequate money for the MTA,” said Lieber. “This is truly a bipartisan issue.”

With the HEROES Act stalled in the senate, some in the agency fear catastrophic consequences if funding is not secured.

“If we don’t get HEROES funding or something similar pretty soon, we are moving closer and closer to a fiscal cliff,” said Lieber. “Broadly speaking, we are in dire straits.”

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A person walks through an empty 14th Street Union Square, one of New York’s busiest subway stations. March 24, 2020. Photo by Thomas Hengge

Masked commuters wait for their trains to arrive at 34th Street Herald Square, March 24, 2020. Photo by Thomas Hengge

NYPD police officers patrolling the subways ride the 6 train Uptown, March 24, 2020. Photo by Thomas Hengge

A woman waits for the L train at 14th Street and 8th Ave, March 24, 2020. Photo by Thomas Hengge

Subway riders wearing protective masks prepare to board their arriving train at Times Square 42nd Street, March 24, 2020. Photo by Thomas Hengge

A family rides the N train toward Astoria, March 24, 2020. Photo by Thomas Hengge

A man waits for his arriving train at 42nd Port Authority, March 24, 2020. Photo by Thomas Hengge

A lone MTA worker at Hudson Yards pauses to check their phone, March 24, 2020. Photo by Thomas Hengge

A lifeless Hudson Yard Station, March 24, 2020. Photo by Thomas Hengge

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As the MTA works to repair damage done to the New York City subway system, city residents wonder how they can trust an organization known for delayed trains, behind-schedule projects, and patchwork repair jobs.

“The real question for here is not what they’re doing now to improve infrastructure that’s been long neglected,” said Daniel Nauxe, a small-business owner who lives on 11th Street and Avenue A. “The real question is, where is this going to be in five years, 10 years, 20 years, 50 years? This is not far-thinking. This is Band-aid thinking.”

In July 2018, it was reported  that just over 65 percent of weekday subway trains were arriving at stations on time. These trains, ridden by over five and a half million commuters on weekdays, were regularly delayed by mechanical problems and “major incidents,” which are issues that delay 50 or more trains, according to the MTA.

Andy Byford, President of the New York City Transit Authority, who has worked in transit organizations in England, Australia, and Canada, presented an ambitious plan to overhaul the subway system in May 2018. The plan, which focused on making major upgrades and speeding up the rollout of the signal system, would cost nearly $37 billion, according to Business Insider, and would require stations to close on nights and weekends for up to two and half years.

The plan, called ‘Fast Forward,’ is currently on hold, due to political clashes between New York City and New York State. Mayor Bill de Blaiso suggested that the state of New York was ultimately responsible for the state of the MTA and indicated that he would not be interested in funding it, according to the New York Times. In July, Governor Andrew Cuomo suggested that the city and state each pay for half of the repairs. No agreement has been reached to fund the plan; in the meantime, the MTA has been implementing an $800 million rescue plan designed to improve subway service in the immediate term. One part of this plan is the shutdown of the L-Train between Bedford Avenue in Brooklyn and 8th Avenue in Manhattan, which will allow the MTA to make necessary repairs to the Canarsie Tunnel.

While the MTA and Department of Transportation have been preparing for the L-Trian shutdown since 2016, New Yorkers are worried about the effects it will have on their commutes and neighborhoods. Supplemental buses will run through Lower Manhattan, and commuters will also be encouraged to bicycle to work. Multiple new bike lanes have been installed on 12th and 13th Street; the CitiBike program has also been expanded. The MTA has stated that these bus lanes and bike routes are temporary, but residents of Lower Manhattan are concerned they may be permanent.

“Everything they’re doing, they want to make permanent,” said Ken Ettinger, who lives on 13th Street. “Although they don’t say that, that’s not what they say, they’ll never undo it. They’re making the changes that they want because they want them, not because there’s any reason to make the changes.”

While Byford called some parts of the project “legacy items” that will remain after the repairs are completed, the items he listed included subway trains with more cars attached and larger and more accessible subway stations, making no mention of the bus routes or lanes. He also said that while the L-Train is being repaired, the stations it stops at will also be altered so that they will be more effective in the future.

Ettinger also pointed out that while the tunnel repairs are not supposed to begin until April 2019, he had seen construction already beginning, more than six months before the project was supposed to start.

“We are starting some of the work right now, and the reason for that is, we have a construction season and we need to get some of the work done on the surface streets before the weather turns cold and the snow starts falling,” said Polly Trottenberg, Commissioner of the New York City Department of Transportation.

Commuters are also expected to have no weekend service on the L line for 15 weeks before the line is shut down in April so the MTA can complete necessary maintenance work and track improvements. However, the project timeline has been shortened from an initial estimate of 18 months, after contractor Judlau Construction Corp. promised to get the job done in 15 months.

However, the contractor has had problems with the subway system before, finishing work on the Second Avenue Subway several months behind schedule, and has been repeatedly behind on work deadlines for Cortlandt Station, which only reopened earlier this month.

“If we don’t take action, the tunnel will end up closing anyway, because it wouldn’t be safe,” said Byford. “We need to get on with [the repairs], and make this tunnel good for future generations, and to make resilient. The program dates are 15 months long, and the contractor is heavily incentivized to do it quicker than that, and equally, heavily penalized, by the day, if they don’t meet that target.”

Smaller repairs are also a problem for the MTA. As of 2017, more than half of the subway’s signal replacement projects were delayed, according to NY1. Other plans for repairs, including renovations to eight subway stations, were delayed due to another dispute between the State of New York and New York City over funding.

“New York City has an amazing subway system that has suffered from decades of underinvestment in new subway cars, failure to modernize the signal system, and the need to upgrade the stations and track,” said Mitchell Moss, director of the Rudin Center for Transportation Policy and Management. “The challenge NYC faces is that we cannot start all over. The city has 8.6 million people and most live in proximity to transportation systems.”

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Gridlocked vehicles idle in the streets of Lower and Midtown Manhattan all day every day to the tune of blaring horns. Below the concrete, the human traffic is just as congested as commuters wait for delayed subway trains to arrive.

The city may have a plan to fix this that could either soar or fall flat.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo is backing the city’s latest proposal to raise money for the MTA — congestion pricing. Vehicles entering Manhattan between 60^th Street and Battery Park between the Hudson River and the East River will face a fee during rush hours. Cars will be charged $11.52, and trucks or commercial vehicles will owe $25.34. Supporters say this could potentially alleviate gridlock by discouraging drivers while raising money to fix the failing subway system.

“There is no doubt that we need to address the undeniable, growing problem of traffic congestion in Manhattan’s central business district,” Cuomo tweeted. “We need a real, feasible plan that will pass the legislature to raise money for MTA improvements, without raising rider fares.”

Tolls must be fair and shouldn’t vary widely. We need to reduce the costs for outer borough bridges.

As a Queens boy, it is my priority to keep costs down for all hard working New Yorkers, and encourage the use of mass transit.

— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) January 19, 2018

But subway commuter Samantha Small, 31, of Jackson Heights, Queens does not think that congestion pricing is a good idea.

“At the moment I believe the 59th Street Bridge connecting Queens to Manhattan is the only free way to enter the city via car,” said Small as she waited for the N train at Times Square. “We live in this city and we literally have to pay to go from point A to point B any other means besides on foot. I’m sure raising funds for the MTA will help if they can fix signal problems and do track work, but it will also make the trains more crowded with the same issues because these delays cannot be fixed overnight.”

Dan Brusaferro, 24, of Bedford Stuyvesant stood on the uptown A,C,E platform at West Fourth Street in Manhattan. He believes congestion pricing is a good idea.

“I’m all for the congestion pricing because MTA needs to raise more money to apply to subway improvements,” said Brusaferro. “The crowding from more people possibly taking the subway would eventually be balanced out by the increased amounts of trains the MTA would be able to provide.”

Dan Brusaferro of Bedford Stuyvesant waits for the A train. Photo by Lauren Garry

With more service issues than ever before, commuters are unhappy with mass transit. The MTA acknowledges the subpar service on its website and tries to reassure New Yorkers that there is a plan of action to improve the system.

The MTA did not respond to a request for comment.

But these improvement plans are not helping commuters. Many of them are spending hours a day on the subway.

“I take the D train to commute every day to Manhattan from Brooklyn,” said Wioletta Bujak, 40, of Borough Park, Brooklyn. “Many times there are delays. I go to Manhattan at 4:00 a.m. and go back to Brooklyn around 1:30 p.m. Heading back home the train service is worse. The trains come only every 20 minutes. It takes me two hours one way.”

 Long waits between train arrivals are a common complaint from subway riders.

“Brooklyn doesn’t get enough service in the early mornings,” said Brusaferro. “There is a train every 25 minutes. That’s crazy. And because of that the trains are packed when they finally do come.”

At least part of the congestion pricing plan is expected to be in the state budget presented in April.

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Just like that – free food is given to the homeless and hungry as stated on their gray T-shirts. Five men push three carts with sandwiches, granola bars, fruit and juices and gave them to anyone who asked.

“You don’t have to be homeless to be hungry,” said Rolando “Divine” Farrow, the founder of Food For The Homeless, whose mission is to feed as many hungry New Yorkers as he can.

Three years ago he was hungry and homeless himself. A stranger on a subway gave him a sandwich. This simple gesture led him on a path of wanting to help others in similar life situations.

Divine is on a public assistance program and lives in the Bronx. Donations on the subway and on the streets are the only sources of money for his mission. He does not travel alone. His colleague from Staten Island Henry Thomas, 38, and others help him feed hungry New Yorkers every day. Thomas lived in a shelter for seven years before he met Divine two years ago. Now they feed nearly 200 people every day.

“We have people who depend on us. They look for us to come by,” said Thomas.

Early in the morning, six days a week, they prepare sandwiches, fill each of three cooler carts with nearly $100 worth of supplies and start to make their way through the subway web.

“The main thing we are trying to do is to give nutritious food,” said Divine.

Along with fresh sandwiches they share information about shelters, where to get a free hot meal and free clothing.

“I believe that one person can make a difference in the world and everyone should at least try,” said Thomas.

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