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