The Subway Rat can help keep us dry
Twice in two weeks, the record rain forced parts of our city and the life buoy of our city, the metro, at the stop. The stages of the metro have been transformed into waterfalls and the platforms have become swimming pools. The water rushing from the floor, the ceiling, and the walls sent straphangers to the seventh avenue stop at Brooklyn to help each other through the doors, barely above the rushed water, to get out safely.
Events like these occur with all the frequency, and on many occasions, we are becoming a little more numb for indigitated, and not a little more prepared for the next time. The next time will happen earlier than we think, because storms become more frequent and intense.
On average, the metro system pumps 14 million gallons of water every day. When the city of New York gets more rain than our obsolete sewers cannot manage, water begins to flow towards lower altitude points, often our metro stations, filling them with water contaminated By pollution, wastewater, bacteria and toxins. In a few seconds, it can sweep you or electrocute you. While the floods disappear quickly, it presents a sharp risk in the moment.
Child of New York in the 1970s and 1980s, I remember many public service announcements, intended for people of all ages and from all walks of life, to remind us that we can better solve the problems when we do it together.
Smokey the bear learned us “You alone can prevent forest fires,“And was a pillar of the Thanksgiving parade from Macy since 1952. Mayor Ed Koch has boldly said”If it’s yellow, let it soften“And each child of a certain age knew”Stop, fall and roll“If their clothes have caught fire.
More recently, after September 11, you could not take a metro without the security recall: “If you see something, say something.” And of course, the beloved, “i 🩷 ny”, which started as a tourism campaign and well exploited in The pride of New Yorkers, returning following September 11 to be “I 🩷 New York. More than ever.“”
The ArMinnique in New York to protect himself against future heavy storms will require a several -strict approach to improve our infrastructure, rethink our use of land and transform the “concrete jungle” into sponge. In the meantime, we can be better prepared for the next rainst storm thanks to an education and awareness campaign sharing simple things and not to do on how to be safe during sudden floods. For messengers, we could turn to local icons:
And if Pizza rat told New Yorkers to check their metro route for possible closures before or during the heavy rains. Mr. Met could impress the importance of registering for “Notify nyc“- The New York emergency management alert program, for real-time warnings, available in 14 languages. Or the Ellie The Elephant of New York Liberty could remind us of washing immediately, after contact with the floods.
New York has already started working with neighborhood groups and activating organizations that register to be warned in front of a large rain to clean debris like falling leaves and sewer sewers in their community.
The city of San Francisco goes further. Their “Draft“The program presents a public interactive map of each drain in the city – showing where they take place and where there is the most need – provoking competitive creativity in the name of its drain with catchy names like” you are so drain “and” here comes the drain. “To enlist individuals by helping to keep an eye on and clear drains.
Through the Atlantic Ocean, Waterproof Amsterdamhas developed pop-up “rain bars” which serve brewed beers with filtered rainwater collected throughout the city. The bars travel in the city to educate residents on what they can do to fight against heavy rains. Yellow codeBeer brewed by Brewery Rainbeer, based in Amsterdam, bears the name of the weather forecast coded by color which indicate a dangerous time.
Landing will be a long process; With better education, we can raise awareness and our New York colleagues. When we do it, we can update the slogan to “I 🩷wew York, even when it rains”.
Chester is the director of reconstruction of design at New York University, an organization that helps communities to adapt to climate change. To find out more about the preparation and safeguarding of our city for heavy rain, consult their program, Waterproof nyc.
