The 2011 Report That Predicted New York's Subway Flooding Disaster - Commute - The Atlantic Cities

The 2011 Report That Predicted New York's Subway Flooding Disaster - Commute - The Atlantic Cities: "Last fall, as part of a massive report on climate change in New York, a research team led by Klaus Jacob of Columbia University drafted a case study that estimated the effects of a 100-year storm on the city's transportation infrastructure. Considering MTA Chairman Joseph Lhota’s comments today that Hurricane Sandy's impact on the subway was "worse than the worst case scenario," it seems pretty safe to put Sandy in the 100-year category. In that case, assuming the rest of the report holds true, the subway system could be looking at a recovery time of several weeks, with residual effects lasting for months and years.

The researchers modeled a potential 100-year storm that consisted of either a category 1 or 2 hurricane hitting nearby, or a severe nor’easter that coincided with high tide. (As we know now, Sandy was a hybrid of all three events.) The models predicted complete flooding of several tunnels after such an event, including all the tunnels in the East River:"

'via Blog this'

Manhattan's flooded zone is landfill

Most of Sandy-flooded lower Manhattan is landfill. There is a lot more Manhattan than there used to be. The Battery was just that - and it was on two near-shore islands. The entire area west of the World Trade Center is recent fill - much of it from the No. 3 water tunnel still being excavated. 

Compare the Manhattan evacuation map to a 1776 map of the island before the filling started. Basically - if it is red it is fill.   The eastern line of Zone A along the Hudson River runs along Greenwich Street on the west, which was at the waterfront in 1776. The old slips on the East River extend inland to Queen Street, now Pearl Street, which is near where Zone A runs along the East River.
Click through HERE for an interactive Google map in the TPM post which is the source of this post.