Posted on 05/12/2003 1:06:21 AM PDT by JustPiper
By Sunday morning, Chicago will be in the early stages of a mock terror attack as officials use an imaginary cloud of pneumonic plague to test whether the area is prepared to handle the real thing.
According to a scripted scenario, the disaster will unfold over coming days and reach a crescendo on Thursday, when emergency workers will be swamped with made-up disasters, including a plane crash at Midway Airport, a building collapse and a panicked citizenry elbowing for medicine to treat the plague.
(Excerpt) Read more at chicagotribune.com ...
Authorities say travelers and residents near Midway Airport, for example, should expect to see smoke rising into the sky early Thursday evening, as a commercial plane crash is simulated there
Other strange scenes might include workers at area hospitals wearing more masks around emergency rooms (to protect them from the imaginary plague) and large numbers of emergency vehicles at certain drill venues.
Officials won't even confirm how many volunteer victims are participating in the drill in the Chicago area. The best guesses are between several hundred and 1,200, based on past statements by those involved in organizing the exercise.
A total of 19 federal agencies, as well as state and county health, transportation and emergency management departments will be involved in the Chicago-area exercise. Canadian authorities will also participate in a simulated international spread of the plague, leading to cross-border efforts to coordinate an epidemiological investigation.
It is anticipated that certain aspects of the TOPOFF 2 exercise will generate a significant amount of media interest. The following events all have designated media staging sites. Refer to the daily agenda for specified times.
Media Staging Site #001a
Special Operations Activities- The Regional Operations Center (ROC) is the federal government’s immediate emergency operations center – much like local and state emergency operations centers. It is activated by the FEMA Regional Director during the initial period of a fast moving disaster, catastrophic event or act of terrorism. Representatives of the primary federal agencies assemble at the ROC to coordinate with the state, and each other, on supplemental federal response assets or technical assistance needed during the disaster response and recovery efforts. During TOPOFF 2 the ROC will be fully staffed with coordination activity at a high level.
Location: FEMA Region V - 536 South Clark Street, 6th Floor Chicago, Illinois 60605
Contact phone number: 312 408-5451
Directions to Media Staging Site#011a
Downtown Chicago at the southwest corner of Clark Street and the Congress Expressway.
Special Operations Activities -
Field exercises involving emergency management and public safety officials coordinating response, containment, and rescue activity at a hazardous materials incident and a building collapse incident at two separate locations. A joint command post will be supervising operations for both sites. An initial media staging site will be at the designated command post. Local public information officers will be on scene for further details and to escort media personnel to the actual locations of the incidents.
Location: Designated Command Post- 68th Street at Old Harlem Avenue -
Bedford Park, IL 60638
Directions to Media Staging Site #001:
From Downtown Chicago
The Stevenson Expressway/Interstate 55 south to Harlem Avenue; south on Harlem to 65th Street; east on 65th Street one block to Old Harlem Avenue; south on Old Harlem Avenue for approximately three blocks; follow signs to the Designated Command Post.
Mon., May 12 -D-Day
12:45 p.m.-1:15 p.m. Media Briefing-TOPOFF 2 Media Center/Master Control Center
1:15-2 p.m.MCC Tour-TOPOFF 2 Master Control Center 4-5 p.m. District of Columbia EOC Tour and Press Briefing with Mayor Williams
*********************************************************** Tuesday, May 13 11 a.m. The Regional Operations Center (ROC) Tour FEMA Region V, Chicago, IL
Tuesday, May 13 2 p.m. Press Briefing Argonne National Laboratory Argonne, IL
If anyone has sitings or stories please post them!
I do worry about that my friend. They say it should not interfere. What about the people who do not listen to or block out the news, then say, they see this happen at Midway Airport Thursday 6pm, the conclusion?
And just WHAT is going to happen, at any / all of the hospitals, when someone shows up with anything even remotely akin to something they've been told to look out for, as part of this charade, but it's for real ? You guessed it...DISASTER !
A Media Briefing is scheduled for Tuesday, May 13, at 2 p.m. It is expected that this Media Briefing will provide a status report for TOPOFF 2 activity and to update the media regarding the progress of the exercise. The Media Briefing will be held at the Joint Information Center (JIC), the primary point of information coordination for exercise play. Additional press briefings may be scheduled if the need arises. Dates and times are subject to change; refer to the daily agenda for any changes or updated information on scheduled activities.
May 13 Briefing at Argonne National Lab
The Media Briefing will provide face time with several key TOPOFF 2 officials. Public information officers will also be available to answer specific exercise questions.
************************************************************ Time: May 13, 2003 2 p.m.
Location: The Joint Information Center - Argonne National Laboratory
9700 S. Cass Ave - Argonne, IL 60439
Directions to Media Briefing From Downtown Chicago
The Stevenson Expressway/Interstate 55 south to Cass Avenue (exit 273a); south on Cass Avenue; follow the signs.
From O’Hare International Airport
Illinois Tollway/Interstate 294 south to the Stevenson Expressway/Interstate 55 to Cass Avenue (exit 273a); south on Cass Avenue; follow the signs.
Excellent point, especially with Sars fears. My sister is coming in from the West Coast and I'm getting ready to mail her this schedule so she doesn't freak!
I realize that a small town setting is very different from Chicago - I can't imagine that they stage something like this without having some serious problems.........
Which is the whole point. One has the problems in hanlding the training scenarios, and irons them out then. Then, when the Real Thing occurs, there will be fewer problems.
Or, would we rather go into all disaster situations blind, cold, and totally unprepared?
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