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Experts: Residents not ready for emergency

By Justin Rocket Silverman | amNewYork Staff Writer

May 23, 2006

Experts were alarmed Monday over a new report that showed most New Yorkers would try to evacuate the city by car instead of using mass transit if there were an emergency.

"It's absolutely absurd," said Rae Zimmerman, a professor at NYU's Urban Planning Program. "Roadways are among the least efficient ways to move lots of people. And the streets of New York City are already jammed during normal conditions. You can't imagine what would happen if the city was trying to evacuate on them."

The study, conducted by New York University and the Red Cross, found that more than half of New Yorkers are planning to drive themselves or take a taxi if ordered to evacuate. The study, which did not specify why the city was being evacuated, also examined how prepared New Yorkers are to stay home for extended periods.

While most city residents said they would stay home during an emergency if ordered to, only about 35% had enough water on hand to last three days. Only slightly more had enough food for three days, the minimum recommended by authorities in the event of a water or power failure.

"Our findings indicate that many citizens still lack critical emergency supplies, training and well-practiced plans," said Tim Raducha-Grace of NYU's Center for Catastrophe Preparedness and Response.

Zimmerman pointed to behavioral research that suggests most people try to flee an emergency by car because being behind the wheel provides a sense of control.

"That is as unfortunate reaction, since many more people can be moved via mass transit," she said. "Assuming, of course, that train operators would be there to move trains instead of running home to their families."

A spokesman for the city's Office of Emergency Management said Monday that the agency is confident the MTA would provide adequate resources to keep mass transit running during an evacuation.

New York City Transit, the MTA division that runs the city's subways and buses, did not return calls for comment on how it would keep workers on the job during an emergency.

In the days following Hurricane Katrina, thousands of government workers in the Gulf States, including police officers, evacuated with their families instead of remaining at work.