going. buses and planes as well. but for many the reality is a much longer wait as millions of gallons of water are pumped out. nbc s richard engel reports. reporter: from here you can see the skyline, that iconic image. new york city surrounded by water. and now partly under water. the pumps. you see the pumps. we were down in that subway. at the tip of manhattan, the south ferry subway station is simply out of commission. from where we are at the top of this water, the top of the flooding to the very bottom, how deep is this pool? i would say we have about 20 feet to get there. reporter: there is a plan to get the water out. so you re sending a train that also pumps water into the tunnel, into the underwater tunnel. we ll bring it in, submerge it slightly. it will have a hose and we ll begin suck being the watsucking water up. reporter: the tunnel now
holds 40 million gallons of water that must be removed with care. some places we could probably pump out quicker, but we don t want to collapse the tunnel. so we have to pump it out somewhat slow so pressure is equalized so the tunnel doesn t collapse. reporter: even the dock on liberty island has been washed away. the statue just recently renovated and nearby ellis island are now closed until further notice. blame it on a freak storm, climate change, or both. these are problems new york has never had before. we see one possible configuration. reporter: some say they could be prevented from happening again by building seawalls, levees or gigantic surge barriers. oce oceanography professor bowman. there would have been no damage at all. reporter: others including mayor michael bloomberg don t see that happening. i don t know that i think there s any practical ways to build barriers in the oceans, when you have an enormous harbor
it s sending ten vehicles with food and water. meantime, residents and officials are questioning the city s priorities. the city of new york right now is talking about getting water out of the battery tunnel. and preparing for a marathon. we re pulling bodies out of water. you see the disconnect here? reporter: today new york city police and fire departments were still going house to house to account for everyone who didn t follow the mandatory evacuation order. can you look me straight in the eye and say that the response was not disproportionate for places that are more wealthy in new york city? absolutely not. we brought everybody in. there s been fema task forces that have been assigned here now and assisting us with the searches. we are in the community talking to the residents. it s been effective. and we re urging everybody to register with fema. i never planned to leave here. i thought i was going to stay here the rest of my life. reporter: phyllis didn t lose any m
has risen to at least 19, the f fury and frustration played out on live television. you need to come here and help us. we need assistance. reporter: it was called a disgrace. it s nowhere to be found. all the american red cross, all the people making these big salaries should be out there on the front lines. i am disappointed. reporter: the red cross says it s sending ten vehicles with food and water. meantime, residents and officials are questioning the city s priorities. the city of new york right now is talking about getting water out of the battery tunnel and preparing for a marathon. we re pulling bodies out of the water. you see the disconnect here? reporter: today, new york city police and fire departments were still going house to house to account for everyone who didn t follow the mandatory evacuation orders. can you look me straight in the eye and say that the response was not
disappointed. the rescross says it is sending ten vehicles with food and water. officials are questioning the authorities. the city is talking about getting water out of the battery tunnel and preparing for a marathon we are pulling bodies out of the water. do you see the disconnect here? they are going to house to house looking tore those that didn t follow the mandatory evacuation order. when you say the response we brought everyone in. fema task forces have been assigned here now and assisting us with the searches. we are talking with the residents that have been affected and urging everyone to register with fema. i thought i was going to stay