By Keith Backer
"I think the president could have done more to get the U.N. behind us," said East Rockaway resident Patricia Lee, 28. "I don't like the fact that we couldn't get more support."
Despite their differences on the validity of this war, everyone is supporting American troops and hoping for a quick resolution.
"I don't like seeing our guys put in harm's way, but we have to do something about Saddam Hussein," said Theresa White of Malverne. "I just hope it's over soon and everybody comes back OK."
Locally, there are also concerns about terrorism and fears of possible retaliatory attacks on the United States. The federal government has increased the terrorism alert level to orange, or "high," and local schools, police and emergency services are preparing to deal with any threat that may arise.
Schools in Lynbrook, Malverne and East Rockaway are implementing emergency procedures, and as a further precaution, field trips out of the local area have been canceled. Schools are stockpiling emergency supplies of food and drinking water, and emergency contact numbers for students, including their parent's cell phone numbers and e-mail addresses, are being updated. In the event of a terrorist attack, schools will in "lockdown" and students will be kept on school premises until their parents are able to pick them up.
"We had a similar response plan after Sept. 11," said East Rockaway School Superintendent Arnie Dodge. "There are after-school programs where students can stay until it's safe. On September 11th, the safest place to be was in school."
Evacuation procedures have been developed for each school in coordination with local police, fire departments and emergency-management agencies.
"Every member of the police department has received counter-terrorism training," said Malverne Police Chief Glen Jacobsen.
Local police patrols have been increased around houses of worship, while utilities and emergency services have staged mock bomb drills and practiced distributing antidotes. The federal government has distributed to police departments nationwide supplies and equipment such as gas-powered generators, gas masks and protective suits, radiation detectors, test kits for biological and chemical agents and personnel carriers for moving residents away from contaminated areas.
"We have mechanisms in place to handle any sort of emergency," said Lynbrook Police Detective Fred Fusswinkle.
Police recommend that residents store bottled water, radios, flashlights, fresh batteries, medicine and non-perishable food. Residents should also be aware of what is happening in their community.
"We count on the public to be our eyes and ears," said Jacobsen. "We want people to question anything that seems out of place."
