White House Disaster Drill Supposes 10-City IED Strike

[brettdale]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/24/AR2007022400617.html



Dozens of high-level officials joined in a White House drill yesterday to see how the government would respond if several cities were attacked simultaneously with bombs similar to those used against U.S. troops in Iraq.

White House homeland security adviser Frances Fragos Townsend and the Homeland Security Council that she heads mapped out in advance a massive disaster involving improvised explosive devices, or IEDs. The attack targeted 10 U.S. cities, both large and small, at the same time, said a senior administration official who spoke on the condition of anonymity.



Townsend presided over the three-hour exercise, which brought the government's top homeland security officials to the Eisenhower Executive Office Building next to the White House. All Cabinet agencies were represented by their secretaries or other high-ranking officials, with about 90 participants in all, White House spokesman Scott Stanzel said.

Stanzel said the drill revealed gaps in the government's ability to respond, but also showed that there have been many improvements since Hurricane Katrina. The storm exposed federal inadequacies when it devastated the Gulf Coast in 2005. For instance, coordination with state and local authorities and the ability to get federal resources in place quickly -- key missteps after Katrina -- appeared much better now, Stanzel said.

President Bush went on a bike ride yesterday morning and did not take part in the test.

[bullimiami]

1. they did a hurricane NOLA drill months before katrina.

its not that they werent prepared. its that they didnt give a shit.

[Bucky]

4. Exactly right. The government runs these kinds of drills frequently

Part of the science of governance involves such disaster planning. This sort of thing has saves unmeasurable numbers of lives. But you just can't always factor character--or the lack of it--into these projects.

[marmar]

2. Given the administration we have in the White House....

am I the only one who gets this eerie "life-imitates-White House drill" sensation? :tinfoilhat:

[walldude]

3. President Bush went on a bike ride

yesterday morning and did not take part in the test. Can you be anymore callous? Was he singing "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head"? "Sorry folks too nice of a day for me to stay inside and play President".. :mad:

[Bucky]

5. Actually, it's important for the government to take disaster drills seriously

so sending the pet monkey out for a bike ride while the grown ups did real work was probably a good idea.