NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — New York City Transit officials failed to maintain $1.5 million worth of flood mitigation equipment purchased in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, the MTA Inspector General announced Monday.
MTA Inspector General (OIG) Carolyn Pokorny released an audit report this week revealing NYC Transit Department of Buses has not maintained 12 diesel pump trucks, which cost nearly $1.5 million, that were procured as part of a flood mitigation program created after Sandy.
Additionally, the OIG found that the department had not trained maintenance personnel on how to operate the pumps in case of a flood.
“This inexplicable lack of training leaves critical facilities at risk of flooding and has potential safety implications for MTA workers operating the pumps,” the OIG wrote in a release.
Training for the equipment is currently scheduled for the end of the year, according to the report. However, the OIG noted the revelation showed how ill-prepared the agency is for future flooding events, which are becoming more frequent.
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“Given the frequency of extreme weather events, including 2 historic storms in the last few weeks, there is no denying that our climate has changed, and the MTA must do a better job of maintaining resources specifically designed to protect its infrastructure,” said Pokorny. “The MTA received this expensive equipment to prevent significant flooding from recurring in bus depots. Buses’ not maintaining these pump trucks, or ever learning to use them, is an insult to New York’s taxpayers who are footing the bill.”
The trucks were purchased in December 2012 and delivered to several bus depots that experienced “significant flooding” between July and December 2018, according to the OIG.
The report found that while the Buses Capital Construction Engineering oversaw delivery, acceptance and payment for the pumps, the group did not complete critical inspections of the equipment, “until the OIG began asking questions in August 2020.”
Additionally, Pokorny’s office found that only 10 maintenance personnel attended a training session on how to operate the pumps. However, none of those individuals performed any maintenance until 2020 and they did not train any other staff on the procedures.
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“Above and beyond the need to maintain the pumps, an inability to operate the pumps when needed effectively nullifies the reason for buying the pumps in the first place,” Pokorny said in her report. “According to depot staff responsible for operating the pumps should a flooding condition occur; they had not been trained on pump operation – nor had they even seen a pump being operated. This inexplicable lack of instruction not only leaves critical facilities at risk of flooding; it also likely has safety implications.”
Pokorny’s office issued six recommendations to NYC Transit, which they have accepted. The OIG is also ensuring training and maintenance shortfalls are no occurring with other equipment.