“i wanna know… if nyc is screwed… wall street and what not. do they house those computers that save all the records and what not somewhere else?”
Yes, probably. My husband used to work in the IT department of a couple of banks (midwest, but I think this works the same everywhere) and they all had disaster recovery plans.
Computers are housed on site, but financial institiutions also store information off site with companies that specialize in bringing up remote data centers in case the primary site is destroyed by natural disaster or terrorism. It might take a few days, but I’m sure that disaster recovery plans are in place for Manhattan finance, esp after 9-11.
On a side note, one of the bank data centers that my husband worked for here in Wisconsin was landscaped with berms to make truck bombing more difficult. And this was over ten years ago. I would hope we aren’t more prepared than NYC.
I am just wondering if this is some form of post traumetic stress since 9/11…
Yes, I am aware there are more urgent warnings of terrorist activity, but I think we are giving Osama and his cronies too much credit. They had their perverted moment of glory through a fluke of surprise attack and sheer “luck” in terms of a successful, barbaric terroristic act. But don’t forget, this had been tried before, even in the World Trade Center, with far, far less success.
I am not saying the threat is not real. But having lived in NYC, danger has always been there - it is part of the underlying excitement of the city and it has always been a reason many have refused to ever set foot in Manhattan.
No one wants to see the worst case scenario happen, and I suppose on some level, an assessment of options in times of crisis is a good thing. But correct me if I am wrong - behind the black humor of this thread, I am reading some serious fear and paranoia from some people.
I don’t really know what to suggest, but I think one thing New Yorkers and others from big cities have that they forget about is their inherent “street smarts”. No, that will not help in the case of a nuclear bomb landing on Times Square, but it should help in terms of carrying on with your life. Even in the best of times, everyone daydreams of running off to that ranch in Wyoming and eating beans out of a tincan by the campfire but it’s not real. It is a daydream. You are living in the best big city in the world, dealing with one mini-crisis after another, day after day, - and succeeding in spectacular fashion!
If you really feel overwhelmed, land is still plentiful out West…you can buy a three bedroom house, with a pool, for the price of a studio apartment on W. 74th.