On July 11th, 2022 NYC’s Office of Emergency Management (OEM) put up a Public Service Announcement (PSA).
The day after this PSA, I both called and emailed to speak with whomever was responsible, and to find out why.
In 2002 I gave a presentation to the OEM staff on best practices for hospital and interagency disaster readiness and felt comfortable to ask for a meeting.
Requested to speak with OEM Commissioner Zachary Iscol, and the Mayors Office who both signed off on the PSA (and praised it afterwards)
The PSA is helpful for a small “dirty bomb”, or for those living miles from a single nuclear detonation, but we needed to be more frank about any “big one” in NYC. This was misleading.
The person was most “responsible” at the OEM, I was told was Ms. Pennisi, but she had suddenly left the agency.
The The Acting Deputy Commissioner, Ira Tannenbaum was responsive, generous and respectful.
We had a few back and forths. He seemed to agree that some changes PSA could be beneficial, and seemed to understand the call to have the PSA be taken down. He set up a zoom date to include a wider OEM team.
We set a date, August 8th, 2022. I asked Mr. Tannenbaum if a colleague could join me, a respected authority. Dr. Ira Helfand, quickly made time in a busy schedule. Gratitude.
It was a productive hour. Our request that the add be taken down would be considered, and they were open to the the idea of working together on something that would help differentiate preparedness for a “dirty bomb” from today’s nuclear weapons.
We supported OEM’s bringing this grave danger to the public attention, but that we did not wish to “normalize”, nor lead people on to thinking we as a city could survive nuclear war.
Police, Fire, Emergency Responders, and hospitals would be obliterated along with us. Electric grids and water mains destroyed.
The OEM then scheduled a meeting amongst themselves, and were to get back to us. There were delays without explanation. The PSA remains up after a year, hence these additions.
We will continue work toward our representatives coming to a clearer understanding.
The word “insanity” is used, not to be personally directed at the sincerity of the hard working people of OEM or the Mayors Office, but at the power structures which continue to impose the obsolete theory of “deterrence.” A theory that threatens all life, every day. A theory thriving on fear, that steals the treasure needed for humanities present challenges and needs, our children’s future.
The generations long before us who sacrificed to stop the nuclear madness, and the absurdity of our mandatory Civil Defense Drills, well knew, that there is NO defense with these omnicidal devices.
Insanity as defined in our dictionary:
“A state of mind which prevents normal perception, …. extremely irrational or illogical.”
Psychosis, is a word even closer to the mark.
“Psychosis is a severe mental condition in which thought and emotions are so affected that contact is lost with external reality.”
Our institutions and “security” plans have lost contact with reality here. That need not be.
We actually have a solution to move forward, and toward.
And that solution has actually already gone through the many hoops of becoming international law.
We had 122 nations join tell All the nuclear armed states that they want their children to live too. They want a sustainable earth for all. They want this grave danger, to come back to the hard work and creativity and joy of problem solving, diplomacy, community.
Our recent U.S. Nuclear Posture Review had just proven that we were not interested in discussion, understanding, or treaties, rather full out emersion in a new nuclear arms race, without any democratic process involving citizens. We are pushing our nuclear weapon sharing programs around the world.
This PSA is paid for by our tax monies. It is Public Domain. The additions are clear and for educational purposes only. (Stated for any bureaucrats who wish to claim copyright on the original.)
FYI:
The original NYC PSA:
