page_title: Effects of Hurricane Sandy in New York
section_title: Ground
hierarchical_section_title: Effects of Hurricane Sandy in New York / After the storm / Transportation / Ground
caption_attribution_description: On November 1, 2012, subway tunnels under the East River remained out of service after they were flooded during Hurricane Sandy. As a temporary means to allow people across the East River, 330 shuttle buses connected subway and LIRR customers at Barclays Center, MetroTech, and Hewes St. with destinations in Manhattan. Crews are working 24 hours a day to pump millions of gallons of seawater out the flooded tunnels, then walk the tunnels to inspect tracks, third rail, and signals and make repairs as needed. Photo: Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin.
context_page_description: New York was severely affected by Hurricane Sandy in 2012, particularly New York City, its suburbs, and Long Island. Sandy's impacts included the flooding of the New York City Subway system, of many suburban communities, and of all road tunnels entering Manhattan except the Lincoln Tunnel. The New York Stock Exchange closed for two consecutive days. Numerous homes and businesses were destroyed by fire, including over 100 homes in Breezy Point, Queens. Large parts of the city and surrounding areas lost electricity for several days. Several thousand people in midtown Manhattan were evacuated for six days due to a crane collapse at Extell's One57. Bellevue Hospital Center and a few other large hospitals were closed and evacuated. Flooding at 140 West Street and another exchange disrupted voice and data communication in lower Manhattan.
  At least 53 people died in New York as a result of the storm. Thousands of homes and an estimated 250,000 vehicles were destroyed during the storm, and the economic losses in New York City were estimated to be roughly $19 billion with an estimated $32.8 billion required for restoration across the state.
context_section_description: The George Washington Bridge, Throgs Neck Bridge, Verrazano Bridge, and Whitestone Bridge closed at 7 p.m. EDT October 29. All road tunnels into Manhattan, except the Lincoln Tunnel, were flooded and closed, as were subway tunnels under the East River and the PATH subway system. Limited bus service resumed Tuesday evening, Oct 30.  Limited MTA subway service was scheduled to resume on November 1 with two East River tunnels (59th Street and 63rd Street) in operation and shuttle bus service to Manhattan from Brooklyn termini. The Long Island Rail Road remained closed due to storm damage until November 8, 2012.  The LIRR then re-opened with partial service to most of its branches, excluding Long Beach. Nassau Inter-County Express and Suffolk County Transit suspended and/or greatly limited service for the storm. In response to the flooding of tunnels and other infrastructure, the United States Army Corps of Engineers sent its National Unwatering Team.
  As of October 31, 2012, MTA bus service began operating on a regular schedule. The subway system was tested with plans to resume limited service to 14 of the 23 services on November 1. PATH services remained suspended; the Long Island Rail Road resumed limited, hourly service; and Metro-North restored hourly service on its Harlem Line between North White Plains and Grand Central Terminal. All bridges and tunnels were open except the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel. Amtrak provided modified service starting on November 1, and the Port Authority Bus Terminal reopened with no Greyhound Lines service or commuter buses to New Jersey.
  On the morning of November 1, the first train, an A train, pulled out of Penn Station three days after tunnels were flooded. Subway service in Lower Manhattan except for the IRT Lexington Avenue Line and to Brooklyn was disconnected. The G train (which is a crosstown route between Queens and Brooklyn), as well as the Rockaway Park Shuttle and the part-time B, C, and Z trains, were also suspended.  Governor Cuomo waived fares on MTA trains and buses through November 5.
  The Holland Tunnel opened to buses only on November 2. HOV restrictions on bridges and Lincoln Tunnel ended on that day. By November 3, 80 percent of subway service was restored. On November 6, the Queens Midtown Tunnel reopened one lane for buses heading into and out of Manhattan during rush hour. The Holland Tunnel reopened November 7 at 5 a.m. EST., while the Queens-Midtown Tunnel reopened on November 9 at 6 a.m. EST. The Hugh L. Carey Tunnel opened November 12 to limited rush-hour bus service.
caption: Replacement shuttle buses boarding at Barclays Center
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