Democratic Mayor of New York City Eric Adams has defended the PSA video, saying “these are just smart things to do.”
Residents of New York City received an alerting public notice (PSA) on Tuesday (July 12) detailing what to do if the city faces a nuclear attack.
The 90-second video of New York Emergency Managementcontained survival tips and encouraged citizens to stay indoors, shower if they were outside during the attack, and keep up to date with news so they’ll know when it’s safe to go back outside.
There have been growing concerns about a nuclear attack due to strained relations with the US and Russia following the war in Ukraine, but this is the first PSA on the subject since 1962.
Democratic Mayor of New York City Eric Adams has defended the video, saying “these are just smart things to do.”
Here’s everything you need to know about the New York nuclear attack video and what Mayor Adams said.
What is the New York Nuclear Attack PSA?
The New York Nuclear Attack PSA is a 90-second video that provides citizens with clear and concise information on how to protect themselves during a nuclear attack.
The video begins with a voiceover that says, “So there was a nuclear attack. Don’t ask me how or why, just know the big one has struck.”
Here are three key pieces of advice for residents: go inside, stay inside, and stay tuned for information.
People are told to stay away from windows, go into a basement if they can, and remove outer clothing to “keep radioactive dust or ash off your body.”
The video ends with the host’s encouragement telling residents, “You get that.”
Local residents were understandably shocked when they saw the video.
The head of public information for the New York City Emergency Management has assured the public that this was for educational purposes only.
Allison Pennisi said, “There is no direct threat to the city, but we felt it was important that we address this issue.”
There were growing concerns that the PSA video was released in the context of heightened tensions between the US and Russia over the war in Ukraine.
Where can I watch the video?
The video can be viewed on the New York City Emergency Management website and has gone viral on social media.
You can watch the PSA video below here.
What did Mayor Eric Adams say?
After the video, Mayor Adams was asked if he thought it was alarming, to which he replied, “These are just smart things to do.”
He added that the city’s emergency management has taken “a very proactive step.”
Adams confirmed that there are “no immediate threats to the city that we are aware of” but that New York “still remains one of the top terrorist threats.”
Adding, “We always have to be prepared as New Yorkers.”
What is a nuclear attack?
A nuclear attack is when a nuclear weapon, like a bomb, is dropped on a country to cause damage and mass destruction.
Atomic bombs are created by the joining or splitting of atoms, known as fusion and fission. They generate an intense wave of heat, light, air pressure and radiation and have a devastating effect.
When a nuclear bomb explodes, it creates a fireball that vaporizes everything in its path, creating a mushroom cloud.
The radioactive material condenses to form dust particles, which then fall back to Earth in what is known as radioactive fallout.
Atomic bombs were only used once, during World War II when the US dropped them on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan.
Almost 200,000 people were killed in the blasts.
Could there be a nuclear attack on New York City?
The video’s release commemorates the now infamous duck and cover drills taught to children during the Cold War to protect themselves from nuclear attack.
US-Russia relations were particularly strained after America offered its support to Ukraine following the February 2022 Russian invasion.
In March 2022, President Biden called Putin’s invasion “unacceptable” and declared that he “cannot remain in power.”
The Kremlin called the comments a “personal insult”.
The situation has become even more tense after the US provided Ukraine with an advanced M142 missile system.
Russia responded that it viewed this “extremely negatively,” adding that the move increased the risk of a direct confrontation with the US.
The two superpowers are both nuclear powers, and there are growing concerns about whether nuclear war might be a possibility as tensions between Russia and the US mount.
Other nuclear-armed countries are the UK, France, China, Pakistan, India and Israel.