Today , New York City is mounting a large - scale simulation of an anthrax attack , the biggest emergency simulation the city has ever betray . So how exactly does the largest city in the United States respond to biologic warfare ?
to test its reception system , the department has set up 30 points of distribution ( PODs ) and various bidding centers across all five borough to ensure that if a biologic agentive role were released on the urban center , people would be able-bodied to get drugs quickly and easily . And once all the PODs are overt for business organisation , the drill is over . It started around 6:30am , and metropolis officials estimate the whole song and dancing will be done by around 3 pm .
The first thing that would happen in the event of an splenic fever attack ? The metropolis would reasonably much keep out down . There would be an announcement on television and radio with explicit instructions for where people should go if may have been strike .
Since today is only a exercise , the medicine headed for the POD we observed — P.S. 153 Adam Clayton Powell , in the Hamilton Heights neighborhood — fix stuck in dealings , which is manifestly not ideal when timeliness could save lifetime . But if this were a literal - life post , the medicine would be zip to its destination quickly , thanks to police escort , the wellness department told us . And luckily , you have between 24 and 48 hours after anthrax pic for discourse to still be effective . So literally , a bit of dealings wo n’t kill anyone ( yet ) .
The Health Department ’s David Starr told us that the PODs are equipped to hold around 3,200 people per hour . The logistics are n’t dissimilar to show up at your local polling station on election day , except with more medical specialty and scare . When people arrive , they ’re require to fulfil out a screen form that asks a simple solidification of even question that will help staffers screw how to medicate each someone . From there , each soul will either be given the dose or examine further , if view as necessary . The regime supplies 10 days worth of antibiotics , although 60 days is the recommend dosage .
NYC has put on anthrax drills before , just not of this scale of measurement . To give an theme of the size and reach of this particular one , it involve more than 1,500 multitude ( none of whom knew of the drill beforehand ) from the travel along 13 city agency :
Mayor ’s OfficeDepartment of Health and Mental HygieneDepartment of EducationNew York City Police DepartmentHuman Resources AdministrationDepartment of Environmental ProtectionDepartment of Housing Preservation and DevelopmentOffice of Emergency ManagementAdministration for Children ’s ServicesDepartment of Homeless ServicesDepartment of FinanceDepartment of TransportationDepartment of Citywide Administrative ServicesDepartment for the AgingLaw DepartmentDepartment of Probation
This statement from Police Commissioner William J. Bratton puts the requirement of such a practice session intoperspective :
There are over 8 million New Yorkers , 55 million tourer and over 5 million commuters that visit this metropolis . This exercise will bring home the bacon an opportunity to do work intimately with our emergency response spouse to evolve a safety design that includes allot the proper medication in the upshot of a terrorist attack or public health emergency .
The accuracy of the matter is that an anthrax attack , or any other sort of public health emergency , can happen . And it has ! Just after September 11 , five people were shoot down after receivinganthrax - braid mail , and many others come down sick . And around that same time , anthrax was discovered around New York City , with Tom Brokaw , a couple of U.S. senators , and the offices of the New York Post being fair game . There are also naturally - pass off disease scares to be aware of , like H1N1 or West Nile or , more currently , Ebola . Point being , this is a ripe and necessary exercise .
The only disappointing thing is that we wo n’t ever know the actual results of the recitation ; the Health Department will be sustain those private for security measure reasons . have ’s just hope it rifle estimable than Pawnee ’s .
Additional reportage and picture taking by Nick Stango
CitiesEmergencies
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