The massive rainfall that struck New York City last month did a number on the city’s streets and subway system when it came to flooding – but the MTA says it could have been much worse.  

The MTA credits its previous flood management experience from Hurricane Ida in 2021 that helped them fight back against last month’s heavy rainfall. The flooding that took place on Friday, Sept. 29 caused flooding at 45 stations and eight train yards, mostly in the Bronx, Brooklyn and Manhattan.  

A total of 11 subway lines were also suspended or saw severe service disruptions during the flooding. The MTA says this is because the city’s drainage system was designed to handle 1.25 inches of rain per hour, when the rains from Ida and more recently remnants of Ophelia gave 2 inches of rain or more per hour.  

Transit officials say that previous experience with flooding helped, as they were able to survey and identify areas to harden and raise curbs around stations in an effort to mitigate flooding and redirect water to drains.  

The MTA says that despite four million gallons of water being pumped out of the city’s subway system, just 45% of trips ran on time during last month’s flooding.