NOTE: This
article, as edited, was published
on page 9 of today's New York Sun. For the idea proposed to be
accepted, it needs wider circulation, and we appreciate the Sun's finding
that it is newsworthy.
PERSONAL NOTE: My wife and I are delighted at the marriage of
our son the doctor, Kenan, on Sunday, August 12..
The event was reported in the
Sunday
Times and, surprisingly, in Monday's
Gawker.
If you care to, you can link to each.
Henry J. Stern
August 15, 2007
Today is Day Six (or Seven), depending on when you started counting) of the
30-day period that Governor Spitzer has given the MTA to account for what
went wrong with regard to wet Wednesday, the August 8 inundation of the subway
system, and what thebeleaguered transit agency proposes to do about such
events in the future.
The first requirement for a public debacle is a name, preferably ending with
gate. Two names leap to mind: Sewergate, because the rain-clogged sewers
could not handle the overflow from the inundated tunnels, and Floodgate,
which is probably most apt. Since we know there are more floods coming,
so perhaps Floodgate Alpha, in the style of hurricanes. The Greek alphabet
has 24 letters, so it will be many years before we reach Floodgate Omega,
and then go to Sanskrit.
Digression: There are two slogans from the advertising business in the 1940's
which have stayed with me because I read them as a child. In testing a new
idea or slogan, advertising men (in grey flannel suits) would say:
"Let's put it in a saucer and see if the cat laps it up," or "Let's run it
up the flagpole and see who salutes." The book was probably "The Hucksters,"
by Frederick Wakeman. BTW, the late Mr. Wakeman was the father in law
of a well-regarded New York City commissioner (identity on request)..
We return to the flood, which, we are told, was an act of God, although the
Lord seems to stir relatively frequently in the case of subway tunnels or
low-lying land. And, although I am no engineer, certain questions do occur
to me, and I ask them in this column in the hope of receiving answers from
professionals.
1) What good would it do to double the capacity of the pumps so that they
would handle three inches of rainfall in an hour (their capacity is now said
to be l.5 inches per hour), if the sewer system does not have capacity to
carry away the water that is now pumped into it at the slower rate?
2) How much would a new pumping system cost, and what impact would that have
on fares? How often is it likely that a new system would be put into use.
3) Since water seeks its own level, why not dig a hole in the bottom of the
subway, and pipe the runoff into the nearest water body or combined sewer
overflow facility (like the one under Flushing Meadows- Corona Park)?
4) If subway floodwaters are cleaner than regular storm or sanitary sewage,
what, if anything, is wrong with mixing them?
5) Why not use the four parts of the Second Avenue Subway where tunnels were
excavated years ago to store the waters until they subside, or are pumped
out into the sewer system?
We are hopeful that the engineers and technicians will think of better questions
and offer answers in the 22 remaining days allotted to them by the governor,
as well as the months or years that will follow before final decisions are
made. We fear that the MTA engineers will not just dust off their old plans
and double or triple the cost estimates to account for increases in labor
and material prices, which are currently rising at between one and two per
cent per month. One of the reasons we were stuck with the $450 million
South Ferry station boondoggle is that MTA engineers had drawn plans
for it.
HOW TO ALLEVIATE FUTURE DISASTERS THROUGH MODERN TECHNOLOGY
One suggestion that occurred to us appears, perhaps in our
naivete, to be sensible and practical. Here it is:
We must attach a reverse 911-type messagest system to all cellphones
and land lines, so that emergency messages, oral or text, can reach the general
public as soon as possible. If people knew that the subways were flooded
before they left their homes, a great deal of trouble and confusion
could have been avoided.
And, if there were a terrorist attack, instant awareness of the danger
could give more people an opportunity to survive. To us it is ridiculous
that this has not already been done. After all, we do have a Department of
Homeland Security. With all the technology and resources invested in cell
phones for taking pictures, playing video games, downloading music and other
erotic and time-consuming diversions, we have no idea why this important
public-service feature has not been provided. Maybe corporations don't see
any profit in it. Maybe the authorities are sleeping.
For change to take place, many people must pick up on the idea. It will certainly
not happen simply because New York Civic suggests it. In fact, it will probably
come after the idea is appropriated by someone with a louder trumpet. That's
life.. Instant two-way 911, or whatever number or signal is chosen to sound
the alarm, must become a priority. (This is an obvious opportunity
for Mayor Bloomberg, the technology mayor, who gave us 311, to take national
leadership. We hope that he will, and we suggest it to him.
At the push of a citizen's button, the appropriate level of government should
be able to reach all telephones, cellular and land-line, with a spoken or
text message about what is now euphemistically called an event (cf. a cardiac
event). We are not recommending the "If you see something, say something"
messages that we hear endlessly on subway public address systems, or see
whenever advertising space be sold.
We request specific, appropriate, safety messages: "Stay out of the subways,"
"Close your windows," "Remain indoors," "Don't drink the water," "Get out
of town"- important bulletins relating to a particular imminent danger
Some day the fact that this type of communication was once unavailable in
time of crisis will be difficult to believe. The sooner that day comes, the
better.
It is an ill wind that blows no good. (A proverb, not a Rule.) Hopefully,
the subway flood of August 2007 will do some good if it stimulates public
and official demand for instant communication with the public in emergencies.
Whether by voice or by text messaging, we want to know what is happening
as soon as possible. Isn't that reasonable?
#402 8.15.07
1032wds