Extreme weather events and their consequences are posing a threat to large urban areas such as New York City. Evacuations are often needed and public transit can play an important role to move people before, during and after such events. Public rail transit is a valuable resource given relatively less attention. The research objective is to identify how public transit’s potential for evacuation varies geographically in NYC, focusing on subways, bus connectivity and evacuation centers. Methods use data analyses for U.S. Census block groups. The geographic analysis is for Zone 1, NYC’s greatest hurricane-related risk.