NYC Office of Emergency Management Teams with STJ for "Ready NY Campaign"

Everyone was a winner Wednesday night as the Office of Emergency Management (OEM), St. John’s University and the school’s men’s basketball team came together at Madison Square Garden for a common cause.

St. John’s honored NYC-OEM Commissioner Joseph Bruno and the work his department has done in partnering with the University for Emergency Preparedness initiatives. The presentation to Commissioner Bruno (a St. John’s alumnus), held during a timeout of the Red Storm’s 78-62 victory over West Virginia on January 25 at The World’s Most Famous Arena (photo below), included Martha Hirst, Senior Vice President for Operations and Treasurer, Tom Lawrence, Vice President for Public Safety, and Gerard McEnerney, Assistant Vice President for University Emergency Management at St. John’s University, and Christina Farrell, Deputy Commissioner for External Affairs for NYC-OEM.

It was the second such effort to co-promote the “Ready New York” campaign which gives New Yorkers helpful tips to better prepare for emergencies big and small – from hurricanes, earthquakes and power outages to tornadoes, heat waves and blizzards that affect our city.

“We are thrilled to work with the Office of Emergency Management and Commissioner Bruno on the Ready New York campaign,” said Gerard McEnerney, Assistant Vice President for University Emergency Management at St. John’s. “We plan on a continued partnership with OEM to address other emergency preparedness initiatives in the near and distant future.”
       
 “Ready New York” pocket guides were handed out to the more than 8,000 in attendance at the game. St. John’s is one of a select group of local elite universities that has partnered with OEM to champion the cause for a safer and secure New York metropolitan area.

In addition, a public service announcement debuted last night on the Garden Vision Scoreboard featuring St. John’s Director of Athletics, Chris Monasch and Commissioner Bruno.

Click here to view the PSA.

The PSA will be another communication tool to spread the word about the campaign to the public and the press throughout the course of the year.

For more information search Ready New York at NYC.gov or call 311.

Interested media regarding St. John’s partnership with OEM can contact Dominic Scianna, Assistant Vice President for Media Relations at St. John’s, by calling 718.990.6185 or e-mail inquiries to sciannad@stjohns.edu.