Enter The "Resilient Tunnel Plug"

In the wake of widespread flooding to most of New York City's subway and vehicle tunnels, Homeland Security has renewed testing of a giant inflatable plug.

The Resilient Tunnel Plug has been years in development and testing, but it may be more relevant than ever: Superstorm Sandy sent a record 14-foot storm surge into New York Harbor, flooding subway tunnels that move some 5.2 million people a day. There is no telling how well ILC Dover's Resilient Tunnel Plug could have helped prevent damage, "but that's the kind of thing we're designing these things for," Homeland Security spokesman John Verrico said Thursday as the latest testing got under way in an airplane hangar.

Packed like an air bag, the oblong balloon made of Space Age materials flopped out of the wall of a scale-model subway tunnel that WVU engineers developed several years ago, inflating in about two minutes. While contact sensors monitored the pressure, engineers with WVU, ILC and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory visually inspected the edges to see how tightly the tube filled the tunnel. A proper fit is critical to the plug's success, said John Fortune, project manager for the Department of Homeland Security. "If there's not a good seal, we're going to see substantial flooding," he said. And while there will always be some leakage, the goal is to make it minimal.

Climate change? Feh! We got plugs!

Lady Gaga Gives $1M To Hurricane Relief

"Today I pledge 1 million dollars to New York & The American Red Cross for Hurricane Sandy Relief. If it wasn't for NYC: the Lower East Side, Harlem, the Bronx and Brooklyn, I would not be the woman or artist that I am today. New York is relentless ambition, a drive to succeed, a place where there is a natural pursuit of diversity through compassion. Please accept this gift on behalf of myself, my parents Joe and Cynthia, and my sister Natali; with our deepest gratitude New York for raising us. Thank you for helping me build my spirit. I will now help you rebuild yours. Sincerely, Lady Gaga and The Germanottas." - Lady Gaga, writing on her personal blog.

RELATED: Much of Gaga's donation will doubtlessly end up helping the people of Staten Island, NYC's most-damaged borough. You may recall that Staten Island's borough president, who has been on the news daily screaming for more aid, recently called Lady Gaga a "drug-using slut" who is corrupting the nation's youth. It will be interesting to see if he bothers to respond to Gaga's generosity.

NYC Begins Gas Rationing

As gasoline shortages continue to plague much of the tri-state area and fistfights break out in the mile-long lines, at 6am this morning Mayor Bloomberg instituted a gas rationing program across NYC's five boroughs.

The mayor said the measure, imposed by emergency order and similar to one put in place in 12 New Jersey counties by Gov. Chris Christie on Saturday that has been considered effective, should cut down lines and allow gas stations to stay open later. “This is not a step that we take lightly,” he said, “but given the shortage that we will face for the next few weeks and the growing frustrations of New Yorkers, we believe it is the right step.” The gas rule applies to most private cars. Buses, taxis and livery cabs, emergency vehicles, commercial vehicles, paratransit vehicles and cars with MD plates are all exempt. Under the rule, motorists whose license plates end in an odd number or any letter or other character will be able to buy gas only on odd-numbered dates of the month. Drivers with even-numbered plates (0 counts as an even number) will be able to buy gas only on even-numbered dates. Violations of the gas rule are class B misdemeanors, punishable by up to three months in jail.

The same rationing mandate begins today in Long Island's Nassau and Suffolk counties.

SNL Digs At Bloomberg & Christie

The Latest New York Magazine

The Latest New Yorker

Mitt Romney Vs Hurricane Sandy

Open Thread Thursday

Has the storm affected you personally?

Romney Refuses FEMA Questions

Al Gore On Hurricane Sandy

"This week, our nation has anxiously watched as Hurricane Sandy lashed the East Coast and caused widespread damage--affecting millions. Now more than ever, our neighbors need our help. Please consider donating or volunteering for your local aid organizations.  The images of Sandy’s flooding brought back memories of a similar--albeit smaller scale-- event in Nashville just two years ago. There, unprecedented rainfall caused widespread flooding, wreaking havoc and submerging sections of my hometown. For me, the Nashville flood was a milestone. For many, Hurricane Sandy may prove to be a similar event: a time when the climate crisis—which is often sequestered to the far reaches of our everyday awareness became a reality. Sandy was also affected by other symptoms of the climate crisis. As the hurricane approached the East Coast, it gathered strength from abnormally warm coastal waters. At the same time, Sandy's storm surge was worsened by a century of sea level rise. Scientists tell us that if we do not reduce our emissions, these problems will only grow worse. Hurricane Sandy is a disturbing sign of things to come. We must heed this warning and act quickly to solve the climate crisis. Dirty energy makes dirty weather." - Al Gore, writing on his personal blog.

Live Superstorm Coverage

If your power or cable (or both) is still out, the Weather Channel is continuing to stream live storm coverage on their YouTube channel.

QUEENS: 80 Homes Destroyed By Fire

Last night at least 80 homes in the Queens neighborhood of Breezy Point were destroyed in a six-alarm blaze. Firefighters faced chest-deep flood waters and rescued dozens of residents by boat.  Breezy Point and all of the Rockaways are in Zone A and those rescued had defied the mandatory evacuation order.  Over 200 firefighters responded and there were no fatalities.

Live Wind Speed Map

I don't know how accurate this is, but it's interesting to look at. (Tipped by JMG reader Ray)

MTA Chairman Reacts To Sandy

From MTA Chairman Joseph Lhota:

The New York City subway system is 108 years old, but it has never faced a disaster as devastating as what we experienced last night. Hurricane Sandy wreaked havoc on our entire transportation system, in every borough and county of the region. It has brought down trees, ripped out power and inundated tunnels, rail yards and bus depots. As of last night, seven subway tunnels under the East River flooded. Metro-North Railroad lost power from 59th Street to Croton-Harmon on the Hudson Line and to New Haven on the New Haven Line. The Long Island Rail Road evacuated its West Side Yards and suffered flooding in one East River tunnel. The Hugh L. Carey Tunnel is flooded from end to end and the Queens Midtown Tunnel also took on water and was closed. Six bus garages were disabled by high water. We are assessing the extent of the damage and beginning the process of recovery. Our employees have shown remarkable dedication over the past few days, and I thank them on behalf of every New Yorker. In 108 years, our employees have never faced a challenge like the one that confronts us now. All of us at the MTA are committed to restoring the system as quickly as we can to help bring New York back to normal.

Note that there's no timetable there.

Avenue C On The Lower East Side

Avenue C at 8th Street. Source.

Tonight In Manhattan

Gothamist reports:

There are multiple reports of flooding across the city due to the storm surge from Hurricane Sandy that is now upon the city. There have been reports of people trapped and cars floating in the middle of the streets. We've also received reports that many subway lines throughout the city have been flooded as well. The city has now issued a warning to all New Yorkers to go indoors immediately, stay away from windows, and remain indoors until further notice.

Earlier tonight came the report that the storm surge has broken the all-time record of nearly 12 feet that was set in 1821. And it appears to be growing. The MTA's site is down but local television reports that subway service will not likely be restored for several days at the earliest. First floor shops at the South Street Seaport are reportedly completely underwater.  The bridge connecting the A train line to the Rockaways is also submerged.

UPDATE: Mayor Bloomberg has just ordered taxis to cease operation.

UPDATE II: The above tweet from the Weather Channel is being debunked by the NYSE itself.

VIDEO: The Con Edison station in the East Village has apparently exploded. Video was taken from the far side of the East River.

Chelsea Apartment Building Collapses

The building is near the corner of 14th Street and Eighth Avenue. More in a moment...

UPDATE: There appear to be no serious injuries.

UPDATE II: Somebody across the street caught it on video.

Tweet Of The Day

ConEd To NYC: Brace For Outages

Con Edison is robo-calling New York City customers with a warning that they may cut the power if it appears that underground equipment will be flooded.  A similar advisory has appeared on their website:

The company is preparing for the possibility that it will have to shut down underground electrical equipment if the storm surge floods low-lying areas, such as parts of lower Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens. Shutting down underground equipment may avoid extensive damage to company and customer equipment, and allow company crews to restore power to customers more quickly. In the event of major flooding, the company would have to wait for flood waters to recede before workers could enter some facilities to begin assessing damage. As equipment is inspected and determined safe to energize, the highest priority for restoration will be given to critical customer facilities that have an impact on the general public such as mass transit, hospitals, police and fire stations, and sewage and water-pumping stations.

I'm quite close to a huge row of major hospitals, so I might luck out.  But at least I'll be among the first to get service back.

Frankenstorm Coverage Live-Stream

For those West Coasters who don't have today off, the Weather Channel is live-streaming their hurricane coverage on their YouTube channel. (During the commercials you'll just see a map.)