Maybe I Should Move by Sister72 on Flickr.
In the event of a major incident in New York City, the newly developed Trans-Hudson Emergency Transportation Plan would use the river as a central evacuation route and would conscript public and private harbor ships to carry New York evacuees to Liberty State Park in New Jersey. The Post reports that the plan was formulated after subways and tunnels were closed in the wake of 2003 blackout, disrupting the commutes of thousands. Private ferry lines, charter cruise ships, and the Staten Island Ferries would all be pressed into service to get people across the Hudson to the safety of Jersey City.
According to the story, “depending on the nature of the crisis, evacuees gathered at the state park in Jersey City would be allowed to return home or be transported by NJ Transit buses to shelters throughout the Garden State and Staten Island…The new plan could be activated during any number of scenarios, from a blackout to a hurricane to a terrorist attack.”
On September 11th, 2001 over 300,000 people were evacuated from Lower Manhattan by a variety of local watercraft that responded to the Coast Guard’s call for ‘All available boats.’ You can listen to the riveting stories of the captains and crews of these rescue vessels here.
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