Police Activity; Transit Delays

There are confirmed reports of a minor explosion in the pedestrian passageway connecting the Times Square and Port Authority subway stations in Midtown earlier this morning. According to those reports, a small number of injuries have been reported, none of them life-threatening. Mayor Bill de Blasio reported at a press conference that the New York City Police Department has a suspect in custody. The police investigation into this matter is continuing.

December 11, 2017

The Port Authority Bus Terminal has reopened and the MTA has begun restoring subway service. Check www.mta.info for service updates.

In light of this morning’s events, we encourage you to make use of several New York and University resources:

  • When an emergency occurs off campus, consult the New York City Office of Emergency Management’s Notify NYC service. You may also wish to sign up for emergency alerts from Notify NYC: https://a858-nycnotify.nyc.gov/notifynyc/
  • Consult www.mta.info for public transit updates.
  • The City of New York also offers a wide array of resources for planning ahead at Plan Now NYC: https://plannownyc.cityofnewyork.us
  • The Emergency Management Operations Team (EMOT) at Columbia maintains the Preparedness website, https://preparedness.columbia.edu. This site provides information to help you plan ahead, and during emergencies is a central source for key information for the Columbia community.
  • If you are on scene when an event occurs, stay calm and follow instructions from police, Public Safety, and other emergency response personnel.
  • EMOT will notify the community via email or text messages in the event of an emergency impacting the campus community. If you have not already done so, I encourage you to sign up to receive EMOT text messages here: https://preparedness.columbia.edu/content/staying-know

Your safety and security are paramount. We will continue to monitor this situation for any further updates.

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