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Cuomo: Subway Service "Will Not Be Normal Tomorrow"
By
Ben Yakas
Published Nov 4, 2012
Modified Nov 4, 2012
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By
Ben Yakas
Published Nov 4, 2012
Modified Nov 4, 2012
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Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Mayor Bloomberg, Sen. Chuck Schumer, FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate, and other city and state officials huddled together for a press conference updating New Yorkers on the latest Hurricane Sandy response plans inside the Governor's NYC Office in Manhattan. Cuomo had some sobering words about what the state of the subways would be like tomorrow: "Service will not be normal tomorrow," he said. "Volume will be way up, schools will be open, and because of the gas problem, many more people will be on mass transit."
"Re-energizing the system has created some obvious mechanical conditions," he continued. "We've been lauding the progress [of the MTA], which is merited, but it's not going to be normal tomorrow." He also noted that subway cars are going to be loaded onto trucks, driven into the Rockaways, and then the train would be re-assembled; it'll run shuttle service, but cannot cross the bridge once it's there. While Cuomo preached patience with the mass transit system, Bloomberg sounded positively giddy (for him): "I plan to take the subway tomorrow, and most people will be able to take subway and buses."
As for power outages, Cuomo said 730K New York state residents are still without power. That includes 145K without power in NYC, including 7K in Manhattan, 12K in the Bronx, 20K in Brooklyn, 20K in Staten Island, and 86K in Queens. Cuomo had a measured response about the power crisis: "I understand these statistics are nice when they improve, but the totals mean nothing if your home is without power."
Cuomo and officials said they were most concerned about housing in the coming weeks, as the temperatures lowered and buildings remained without power and heat: "This is going to be a massive, massive housing problem," Cuomo said. They estimated that tens of thousands of people may need to be relocated as a result.
Cuomo also addressed the continuing issues with fuel delivery, and was hopeful things would be better in the coming days, although he couldn't be too specific about when exactly things would get back to normal: "There will be more supply and more distrubtion. It doesn't mean there will be total allieveation of problems in the immediate future, but it is getting better. We're monitoring the situation on a daily basis. We do believe it's a short term problem...[we anticipate this will continue] a number of days. We're not 100% sure when the system will be up and running where you wont feel any effect whatsoever."
He added, "now is not time to be using car, if you dont need to. Now is not the time to be hoarding fuel. That's actually increasing the demand." There was a bit of the officials patting each other on the back for actually being able to work together functionally, and Cuomo tried to put a bow on the sense of community around the city: "If there is a silver lining to the storm, it is to see New Yorkers come out and work together..."We're tough. And we're also sweet, and we're also kind, and we're also generous."
Tagged
frankenstorm
gov andrew cuomo
hurricane
hurricane sandy
mayor bloomberg
MTA
press conference
storm
subway
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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