Do You Know What To Do?

Despite Monday’s cancellation of the heightened security alert on the city’s mass transit system, Queens commuters are still practicing vigilance as they ride the rails.
But incidents over the weekend indicate that they may not be getting enough information on what to do in the case of an actual emergency.
On Saturday, after FBI intelligence indicated that the subways were specifically targeted for a terrorist attack, numerous calls of suspicious packages were reported to the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA), including one at the 74th Street/Broadway stop of the No. 7 line, which also affected service on the “E,” “F,” “R,” “V,” and “G” lines.
“The police came running downstairs and told everyone to get out, evacuate,” said Arek Samuels, who was on the train’s platform. “Everyone stayed calm. We were unaware of the bomb [threat]. I really don’t think people were taking it very seriously.”
Councilman John Liu, chair of the city’s transportation committee, told The Queens Courier, “It’s a challenging period. It’s clear that our transit system is a ripe target [for terrorism], if we have learned anything from London and Madrid. The good thing is that these suspicious packages are spotted and found. The increased NYPD presence definitely helps. However, the MTA leaves a lot to be desired. They are slow to recognize the need to harden the system against potential attacks.”
Riders echoed the sentiment, complaining about the disruption in their commutes and about the lack of information regarding alternate routes.
“I was changing trains at Roosevelt Avenue [on Saturday],” said Zoryana Babiy. “No one told us what was going on — ‘You have to get out’ — and that’s it. I don’t know what to do, how to get where I need to go.”
According to NYPD officials, thousands of police officers were added to conduct bag and stroller checks and increase security along the transit system. In addition, bomb-sniffing dogs and a doubling of random searches were also utilized.
But now that FBI officials have deemed the terrorist threat to have passed, security is being scaled down.
“Since the period of the threat now seems to be passing, I think over the immediate future we’ll slowly be winding down the enhanced security,” said Mayor Michael Bloomberg.” But we, remember, stay at Level Orange in this city. We have since 9/11 and we’re going to take every single threat that has any chance of being credible seriously and do exactly what we did.”
The mayor also emphasized the city’s “If you see something, say something” campaign, and experts agree that the best safety measure for riders is added awareness and caution when traveling.
According to one official at the terrorism hotline, (888-NYC-SAFE), riders who suspect a threatening package can call 911, report it to MTA personnel, or call the hotline.
For more information on emergency preparedness — including what to do in a train evacuation — visit the MTA’s website at https://www.mta.info/mta/security/seesomething.htm.
toni@queenscourier.com