I work just down the street from the Prudential Building in Newark, NJ, and it’s scary to know that the building’s been targeted by terrorists. If I turn around right now from the computer where I’m typing these words, I can look out my office door, across the corridor, into my boss’s office and through the window, where one side of the Prudential Building fills the entire view.
*turns around*
Yep, still there.
When I walked near the building this morning, the first thing I saw was a TV truck. Then a few more. And someone was being interviewed in front of the building. Oh, and lots of security, too.
The thing is, now that this has been announced, probably nothing will happen. But it’s eerie to think that there have probably been people casing the building — counting pedestrian traffic, testing the security measures, and so forth. I hadn’t thought of New Jersey as containing any attractive terrorist targets, not with Manhattan nearby.
But what can you do? I’m just going to continue on with my daily life. Damn the torpedoes — full speed ahead.
If you live or work in a building that’s even remotely famous or very well-traveled, you’re a potential target — even people who work in the subway or at the mall have to be aware of the danger. It occurred to me a while ago that the major hospitals of New York were certainly on that list; if someone struck here, it would be exceedingly difficult to treat the wounded.
Nothing much you can do about it other than be prepared to flee at a moment’s notice.
The last NYC anthrax fatality worked at a hospital.