Though New Yorkers have been warned repeatedly about the possibility of a terrorist strike here, very few have done anything to prepare for such an attack. With the anniversary of September 11th attacks approaching, it is time City residents begin taking their own civil defense more seriously and for Mayor Bloomberg to focus more public attention on the subject.
The Mayor’s first priority, correctly, is "deploying our full array of counter terrorism resources" to prevent against an attack. But almost three years after 9/11, there has still been almost no discussion with New Yorkers of what they should be doing to prepare.
While police and other emergency responders have developed and rehearsed their comprehensive plans, the public has not been involved in or informed about the City’s preparations at all. That's a problem since its response may be crucial in determining the effectiveness of New York’s response to an attack. Mayor Bloomberg has generally tried to downplay what everyday New Yorkers can do and instead instructed citizens to leave it to the professionals. But it shouldn’t be an either/or situation.
Thus far, the City’s civil defense awareness efforts have been limited largely to the Office of Emergency Management’s ReadyNewYork booklet and website. It does provide helpful basic information, but obviously not been enough. According to a survey by the American Red Cross In Greater New York, only one in five New Yorkers feel very prepared for an emergency.
In order to improve civil defense compliance, City officials will need to lead people through the readiness process. The ReadyNew York guide calls for every household to have an evacuation plan and to "practice your plan with all household members". But realistically that type of widespread rehearsal is not going to happen unless the government organize it.
Officials are understandably concerned about scaring the public with too many explicit details. But, at least sensitizing them to potential terror scenarios would seem to help mitigate panic if and when an attack occurs.
The public’s orderly reaction during last year’s blackout may have given New Yorkers a false security about their ability to deal with a major incident. A significant reason for the calmness on the streets that late afternoon was the relief when word began filtering down that it was not terrorism but "just" an act of nature. Had it been instead a radiological, chemical or biological attack, things wouldn’t have gone so smoothly.
Unfortunately, at present, it appears that nothing short of another terror strike will get New Yorkers to pay attention to civil defense. Almost three years after 9/11, that would be both disrespectful to those who died and foolish for those of us who remain.
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