Climate change has become an extremely big and important topic. Not only are people raising awareness of its potential effects, but some are even taking active steps to prepare for it.
Recently, Twitter user Kaye Blegvad posted a picture of the flooded Broadway Subway Station in Coney Island, New York City. Unbeknownst to her (and possibly many other people), this was a flood test conducted by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. And they had some fun with it.
This is what commuters were greeted with at the Broadway Subway Station entrance
Image credits: Kaye Blegvad
Like many people going to the Broadway Subway Station that day, Kaye Blegvad was surprised to see a flooded station entrance. She took out her phone and tweeted about it. Shortly after, she received an answer from the official New York City Subway Twitter account.
The MTA took the opportunity to joke about the new submarine subway service
Image credits: NYCTSubway
The tweet explained “We’re pivoting to submarines. ^JLP”. Now, that is an exciting idea. Sure, it’s not too practical as the train is much faster and there is no water involved, but not many people get to take a ride in a submarine, let alone in the subway.
All jokes were dismissed just a few moments later when the MTA explained the flooding
Image credits: NYCTSubway
Several moments later—should we say, after all of the suspense—they come out with an explanatory tweet. It turns out the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has installed flood doors in case of Superstorm Sandy. The flood was imitated as a test to see how well the doors hold up.
This is what a typical NY subway station looks like unflooded
Image credits: Northwest via Wikipedia
The tweet read: “We were testing a new ‘flex gate,’ which is a flood barrier that would allow us to seal off a subway entrance. We ‘test flood’ the entrance for four hours to make sure it was installed correctly, which it was! We’re doing this because climate change is real. ^JLP”
Image credits: Epicgenius via Wikipedia
An official statement has been released regarding the MTA investing in similar capital projects to counter the effects of climate change. It explains that between October 21, 2019 and some time in Spring 2020, there will be no N trains between 86 St and Coney Island-Stillwell Ave. Commuters will have to switch to other trains or buses to complete their trips.
The MTA has had several previous floods due to water mains breaks and natural disasters
Image credits: MTA
This seems to be more than just preparation for a disaster. The tweet emphasizes that climate change is an actual problem, the effects of which we as humans may have to face one day. It spreads awareness of how serious the issue may be if humanity is to ignore the matter.
Image credits: MTA
The internet cracked its own jokes on the matter…
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