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
image. new york city surrounded by water and now partly under water. there s the pumps. reporter: 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 to the platform. reporter: there is a plan to get the water out. so you re sending a train that also pumping water into the tunnel. we ll bring it in, submerge it slightly. it will have a hose and suck the water up. reporter: and the tunnel connecting manhattan and brooklyn, the longest of its kind in north america, 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 so pump it out somewhat slow since pressure is equalized and the tunnel doesn t collapse. reporter: even the dock on liberty island has been washed