Evacuations in Downtown Austin and Midtown Manhattan: Coincidence?

[MavKikiNYC]

Congress Ave. shut down after dead birds discovered

By Tony Plohetski | Monday, January 8, 2007, 05:41 AM
Congress Avenue from Cesar Chavez to 11th Street is closed this morning after authorities discovered a dozen dead birds in the area. Workers in downtown office buildings along Congress will not be allowed in the area until about noon, authorities said.
Austin police spokeswoman Toni Chovanetz said authorities received a call about 3 a.m. about the birds in a two- to four-block area on Congress.
Austin fire officials responded and began collecting samples from the birds. “What they are doing is some follow-up testing to see if there is anything we need to worry about,” Chovanetz said. “At this point it is strictly precautionary. We want to make sure there is nothing in the air, the water, the buildings before we let people in.”
Austin-Travis County Medical Services officials said no one was injured in the incident.
Capital Metro bus routes through downtown are experiencing delays due to the street closure. All Congress Avenue routes are being detoured to San Jacinto and Brazos streets. Bus riders should be prepared for delays downtown and plan their travel accordingly.
The Austin Police Department has scheduled a press conference for 9:15 this morning to further discuss the incident.

Gas-Like Odor Permeates Parts of New York City
By CHRISTINE HAUSER and SEWELL CHAN


Published: January 8, 2007
Authorities were investigating widespread reports today of a strong odor similar to natural gas that permeated parts of New York and New Jersey during the morning commute.
New York City agencies and the United States Coast Guard were responding to numerous calls on emergency telephone lines. Fire trucks raced around in search of the odor.
The smell was reported from Manhattan’s midtown to Battery Park City, and strong odors were reported in Jersey City, said a spokesman for New York’s emergency management office, Jarrod Bernstein.
Some office workers were evacuated from their buildings, and a woman was taken away by ambulance, apparently overcome by the smell, New York 1 television reported.
Consolidated Edison, the natural gas supplier for the city, said it was investigating. PATH train service between New York and New Jersey was suspended.
There was no immediate confirmation about the cause of the odor. Mysterious odors come and go in the New York City area, sometimes never identified.
In August, a pungent smell wafted through Staten Island, alarming hundreds of residents. The City Department of Environmental Protection dispatched a hazardous materials crew, using equipment to test air quality for “volatile organic compounds,” which are emitted from a range of products from stored fuels to aerosol sprays to paint.
But the investigation into its source proved fruitless.
In a city scared of terrorism, pungent odors, sweet or sour, can raise vague worries about some kind of chemical attack.
In October 2005, an extraordinary sweet smell wafted from downtown Manhattan to the Upper East Side, Prospect Heights in Brooklyn and parts of Staten Island.
At that time, too, city authorities were rallied. The city’s Office of Emergency Management contacted the Police and Fire Departments, state emergency response agencies in New York and New Jersey, and the United States Coast Guard, which communicated with tugboats and container ships at sea to determine whether the odor was being detected there. The cause was not determined.

[Flacolaco]

weird. but Im sure its just coincidence. Austin would be an odd choice of terrorist target

[Drbio]

Originally Posted by Flacolaco

weird. but Im sure its just coincidence. Austin would be an odd choice of terrorist target

Not really. As the capitol of Texas and a major economic center it would be very inconvenient and cause a high profile response which is the desired effect more often than damage/fatality. Fear wins in terror.

[alexamenos]

Originally Posted by MavKikiNYC

Gas-Like Odor Permeates Parts of New York City

perhaps this isn't the time or place, but this hardly strikes me as being news.

[dude1394]

I've heard that lefties don't bath a lot?

[Usually Lurkin]

there was also a false alarm scare at a Florida airport yesterday, wasn't there?


And my cat missed the litter box, too!

somethings going on.