Storm Surge Has Peaked at NYC; Still a Long Way to Come Down...

 

The tide gauge at New York's "The Battery" peaked at 13.85 feet at 9:24 PM EDT this evening.  It has now leveled off and should slowly start to fall.  The area will remain under a substantial amount of water, however, for several more hours.

 

Here are some additional (and dramatic) storm surge photos from NYC since my last post here on the blog (note:  please follow me on facebook and twitter for frequent updates and photos/videos often as they are first released):

 

 

...and some impressive (if not scary) photos of Manhattan in the dark (except for the top of the Empire State building):

 

 

It is truly heartbreaking to hear the emergency scanner traffic from NYC this evening where emergency workers describe their inabilty to reach a call for service due to high water, downed trees, etc.  Unfortunately, this was fully expected in this worst case scenario situation that has come to pass.

 

The subway system has taken a big hit (see the first two photos above).  Estimates are from "weeks" to a month before service will be fully restored.  Truth of the matter is, we won't even know the extent of the damage until they can get in there, pump out all of the water (which could take several days alone) and then assess and repair the damages.  A staggering 5.3 million people ride the subways in New York every day.

 

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