What’s up with that?

Q What’s up with all the signs around the city for fallout shelters? Are there really still shelters in these buildings? Are they functional? If so, what kinds of warfare/bombs/attacks would they provide protection for?—Shayna S., Upper West Side

A We hate to ruin your I Am Legend fantasy, but a representative for the New York City Office of Emergency Management says the signs no longer indicate “any sort of emergency shelter for the public.” Governor Nelson Rockefeller started the $15 million shelter-building program in 1961; records show that there were about 16,000 designated bunkers at the time. But in the ’70s, with funds depleted and the shelters deemed more or less a ridiculous safety measure, city-paid contractors carted away their aspirin, toilet paper, crackers and other survival essentials. “Now we do something called all-hazards preparedness,” says the representative. “And shelters that we would put in place would not necessarily be in the same buildings.” So why are the signs still up? The city just hasn’t paid anyone to remove them. (But here’s a tip: If you’ve got the wherewithall, those puppies go for $40 on eBay.)

—Dana Schuster

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