A mini-emergency is unfolding in New York City, where officials are trying to find out why Manhattan has been suddenly smelling like natural gas.
The first inclination was to think: it could be part of some kind of new terrorist attack. But officials have been quick to assure New Yorkers that it is not the case, based on everything known so far and the fact that no one has been seriously injured by the stench:
Mayor Michael Bloomberg says that city agencies are all working together to pinpoint the nature of a gas leak that has been wafting across Manhattan since 9 a.m. Monday.
The strange odor was being reported to the Office Of Emergency Management from Lower Manhattan to Midtown.
“There is no danger from the gas at this point,” Bloomberg said. “The city has not found any high concentrations of the gas.”
He added, “The [city’s gas] sensors do not show any high concentration of gas that we should be concerned,”
Bloomberg also said there was no indication the air was unsafe to breathe. “It may just be an unpleasant smell.”
“We are waiting for the gas to pass,” the mayor said.
When Bloomberg leaves the mayor’s post he can always work as advertising director for Taco Bell.
But the smell is a serious matter: until it’s determined what is causing it, officials have to be somewhat nervous. Right now it is an unknown, in an era of natural disasters and increasingly canny terrorist weapons. The unspoken fear behind many of the reports is: what if this is some kind of biological or chemical weapon? The answer: there is not one sign of that so far. AND THIS:
Bloomberg added that the substance people were smelling is known as mercaptan, a strong-smelling chemical added to odorless gases in order to let people know when those gases are leaking. He said the smell may have resulted from a leak of that substance.
Law enforcement sources told WNBC.com that this does not appear to be an act of terror.
“It is still early but there is no indication of terrorism and there is no credible intelligence to suggest any imminent threat to the homeland or to New York at this time,” said Russ Knocke, spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security.
He said the agency is closely monitoring the situation and talking with the local authorities, who are the lead in the matter.
FOR MORE DETAILS SEE:
—Pajamas Media
—On Deadline (USA Today blog)
—Above The Law (from NYC)
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.