Today’s Solutions: January 21, 2025

A flooded subway entrance stopped Brooklyn commuters in their tracks.  For four hours on Wednesday, the staircase leading down to Broadway Station in Williamsburg was blocked off and completely submerged. The sight was even stranger since it hadn’t rained in New York City that day.

It turns out that the flooding was intentional; the city’s Metropolitan Transit Authority was testing one of the gadgets it has put in place to protect the subway system from a future superstorm. In the case of a real disaster, a “flex gate” seals off the entrance to the station and can hold back up to 14 feet of water. The MTA says that it was checking to make sure that a new gate at the Broadway Station was installed correctly; it passed the test.

When local commuter Kaye Blegvad saw the flooded entrance, she sent a tweet asking the MTA to explain themselves. In comedic fashion, the MTA responded: “We’re pivoting to submarines.” In a later tweet, they explained that they were doing this because “climate change is real.”

Solutions News Source Print this article
More of Today's Solutions

Oslo’s quiet revolution: how electric construction sites are changing the game

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM Imagine walking past a bustling construction site and hearing… almost nothing. In Oslo, that’s becoming the new normal. ...

Read More

DIY toothpaste: a simple, eco-friendly guide to sparkling teeth

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM Are you tired of reaching for the same old toothpaste tube every morning? Making your own toothpaste not ...

Read More

The Rockefeller Christmas Tree gets a charitable new life after the holidays

We once shared how a tiny owl was rescued from the branches of the Rockefeller Christmas Tree. Now we have more good news as ...

Read More

Robot fish repairs itself with microplastics it collects

Microplastics are one of the most pervasive environmental and health issues of our time. And environmental engineers and researchers are working nonstop to address ...

Read More