Geographical Gaffes and Delayed Alerts: Controversies Surrounding New York’s Earthquake Response
In a social media post on X, Governor Kathy Hochul faced sharp criticism after describing New Jersey as “west of Manhattan” in her response to a 4.8 magnitude earthquake that shook New York and its neighboring regions.
Hochul’s statement read, “A 4.8 magnitude earthquake hit west of Manhattan and has been felt throughout New York.”
Promptly, social media users rebuked the governor for what seemed to be a geographical oversight.
CEO George Daniel of Hoop It Up remarked, “It’s called New Jersey. It’s alright to acknowledge its name,” while former New York legislator Ben Geller wittily commented, “It was Jersey. It’s acceptable to extend concern to individuals beyond NYC.”
Expressing discontent with Hochul’s statement, Terrence T. McDonald, editor of the New Jersey Monitor, pondered, “Can NJ impeach NY’s governor?”
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NYC officials came under fire for delaying emergency alerts by nearly 25 minutes after the earthquake struck.
Simultaneously, online users directed criticism toward New York City officials for the considerable delay in issuing emergency alerts, which were dispatched almost 25 minutes after the earthquake.
According to the US Geological Survey, the earthquake in Lebanon, New Jersey, occurred at approximately 10:23 a.m., causing immediate tremors throughout the tri-state area.
However, it wasn’t until 10:47 a.m. that New York City officials sent out an emergency alert. A Wireless Emergency alert was issued at 11:02 a.m., with reports indicating that some locals received the alerts much later.
During a news conference on Friday, Zachary Iscol, director of the city’s Office of Emergency Management, explained that the Adams administration opted to verify the earthquake’s authenticity before alerting the public.
“We also need to ensure that we provide accurate guidance. Issuing a public notification within 20 minutes is exceptionally rapid,” he emphasized.
Meanwhile, a user on X sarcastically commented, “NYC’s emergency alert about the earthquake arriving 30 minutes post-event is quintessential NYC Adams administration.”
Another X user highlighted, “Receiving an earthquake emergency alert more than 30 minutes after its occurrence epitomizes the efficiency of the NY government.”
“Listen, Miss Emergency Alert System, if this had been a severe earthquake, we would have all perished or been buried for 40 minutes before you managed to send this out,” quipped a third user.