As we mark the two-year anniversary of 9/11 tomorrow, New Yorkers anticipate further terrorist attacks, but most still are not doing anything to prepare.
A recent Daily News survey found that 86% of Gothamites say they would not be surprised by another incident. But only 14% have made any preparations for an emergency, according to a Columbia University School of Public Health study announced Monday.
Improving that anemic level of readiness is an impetus behind the "Ready New York" guide recently released by the city Office of Emergency Management (www.nyc.gov, click on public safety). It is a nice start, but not nearly enough. There is neither the urgency in tone nor enough information for the public to be able to thoroughly prepare. City officials need to give greater priority to public civil defense preparedness.
"Ready New York" suggests that every household "should consider assembling a 'Go Bag'" to take in case of an evacuation. That's excellent advice, but it should go further. The government's message should be that preparedness is a civic responsibility, not a personal choice. Clearly, in the event of a terrorist attack, the fewer the number of prepared New Yorkers, the more difficult it will be for the city to respond.
Secondly, the city is not going far enough in educating the public about the range of threats. Most significantly, it has decided not to announce evacuation sites and routes in advance. "Ready New York" instructs that "the city has a list of shelter sites appropriate for various types of disasters. Local officials will inform you when sheltering is necessary."
Understandably, officials do not want to unnecessarily scare people or overload them with too much information. But experts say that having more knowledge ameliorates anxiety better than having less. For example, a traditional explosive laced with radiation, a so-called dirty bomb, is a likely terrorist weapon because it would create widespread panic. But some of that panic would be prevented if the public were to be briefed in advance that the damage from a dirty bomb likely would be limited to the area of direct impact.
In the aftermath of August's power blackout, emergency service personnel performed relatively smoothly in part because they have drilled for these types of emergencies since the attack on the World Trade Center. What would be wrong with having civil defense drills for the public?
The "Ready New York" guide calls for every household to have an evacuation plan and to "practice your plan with all household members." Realistically, that type of rehearsal is not going to happen unless government officials lead it. Mayor Bloomberg, Gov. Pataki and other local elected officials must give preparedness a higher public profile.
The city's job has been made more difficult because the federal government has given short shrift to civil defense awareness. It therefore falls on officials here to take a leadership role.
Officials face the unprecedented challenge of readying New Yorkers for a range of worst-case scenarios. They should approach the task with an unprecedented level of attention and urgency.
|
