Posted by Hal Newman (165.247.13.217) on September 24, 2001 at 21:19:58:
Cities reassess and tighten security (Sept 24, Washington DC)--Most American cities will reassess their
preparedness for terrorism in light of the September 11 attacks, according to a survey of 456 cities in
the United States conducted by the National League of Cities.
Among all the surveyed cities, 52 percent said they will conduct overall reassessments of their
terrorism plans. The intent to reassess plans was reported by more of the larger cities (66 percent of
cities of 100,000-plus population) and by fewer medium and small cities (52 percent of cities 10,000 to
100,000, and 48 percent of cities under 10,000 in population).
"All American cities and towns should assess potential terrorist threats to their communities and then
plan accordingly, making the best use of available state and federal resources for planning, response,
and coordination," said Don Borut, executive director of the National League of Cities.
Most of the surveyed cities (55 percent) said they have terrorism response or prevention plans in place,
12 percent said they are developing plans, and 32 percent said they have no plans. Terrorism response
and prevention plans are more common among larger cities: 83 percent of larger cities compared to 59
percent of medium and 40 percent of small cities.
About half (48 percent) of all the cities reported having had anti-terrorist training. Training had
occurred in 85 percent of the larger cities, 50 percent of medium, and 32 percent of small cities.
On the day of the attacks on New York and Virginia, cities responded in a number of ways: 34 percent
convened meetings, 26 percent declared emergencies or alerts, 8 percent evacuated buildings, 6
percent closed schools, and 2 percent closed streets. These responses were more common in cities with
more than 100,000 residents, where 53 percent convened meetings, 36 percent declared emergencies,
26 percent evacuated buildings, 17 percent closed schools, and 11 percent closed streets. Some officials
made a point of not closing buildings or altering activities in an effort to convey a sense or order in
their cities.
Some of the responding cities listed specific changes they are planning as a result of the attacks: Seek
more state and federal grants for terrorism training; Update emergency equipment; Hire additional
police and fire personnel; Obtain better media and communications equipment to monitor situations;
Improve security coordination with military bases, federal labs, and defense facilities; Make
permanent street closures around certain city and federal buildings; Expand airport security; Obtain
training in how to respond to biological and chemical
poisoning; Learn better ways to monitor safety of water supplies and
keep them safe; Provide training on new FAA rules regarding airport safety; Secure supplies of blood,
fuel reserves, and other necessities; and Build in mental health planning to provide counseling for
first-responders and citizens. (Big Medicine)