DATE=4/26/2000
TYPE=BACKGROUND REPORT
TITLE=SIMULATED TERRORIST ATTACK
NUMBER=5-46205
BYLINE=MIKE O'SULLIVAN
DATELINE=LOS ANGELES
INTERNET=YES
CONTENT=
Voiced At:
INTRO: Early Wednesday, police and emergency workers
converged on the port of Long Beach, California, to
test the city's readiness for a terrorist attack. As
we hear from Mike O'Sullivan, the exercise involved
more than 300 local and federal officials.
TEXT: The exercise took place on a former naval base,
which is now home to Sea Launch, an international
aerospace firm that launches satellites from an ocean
platform. Officials say the facility could be a
potential target in an actual attack.
Shortly after 9 a-m, an explosion in a trash can
marked the release of a simulated gas. Hazardous
materials teams would identify it as Sarin, the gas
released five years ago in the Tokyo subway system.
That actual terrorist attack by a Japanese cult killed
twelve people and injured thousands.
Rick Pillsbury of the Long Beach Fire Department says
there were 50 victims in this simulated attack. Ten
were fatalities. The other 40 received treatment.
/// PILLSBURY ACT ///
We're going to go through the decontaminating of
these victims. We are going to then work
through the transportation process of bringing
these people to hospitals, and then the
hospitals will take it from there.
/// END ACT ///
Within minutes of the attack, Sea Launch workers, who
participated in the exercise, stagger from their
command ship clutching their heads and stomachs.
/// SFX ACT - COUGHING ///
A bulletin on the public address system urges other
workers to find shelter.
/// ACT ///
Please take shelter in buildings three, four and
one. If you are in building 13, please take
shelter in building four.
/// END ACT ///
Ten minutes after the blast, fire and police personnel
arrive on the scene. Masked firefighters with oxygen
tanks try to calm disoriented workers as they lead
them from the contaminated region.
/// ACT -- CROWD SOUNDS ///
(victim) They're hurt down there. Go help those
people...."
(fire fighter) Sit down. Sit down.
/// END ACT ///
Minutes later, the victims are stripped to their
underwear as they undergo decontamination. First,
they are sprayed with water hoses and then with
chemical compounds. Fire fighter Mike Garcia explains
the process for treating people exposed to Sarin.
/// HOSING SOUNDS AND GARCIA ACT ///
When people are covered with this type of agent,
we need to go through a decontamination process,
wash it off so we don't contaminate anyone
further, especially the hospital systems. Also,
when inhaled and taken into the system, what it
does is cause violent contractions of the
muscles, which eventually can be fatal.
/// END ACT ///
An antidote called atropine (A-troh-peen) is injected
in the victims to stop the convulsions.
This is one of 120 tests taking place in U-S cities
under a special congressional grant, to test the
coordination of local and federal officials.
/// OPT ///
The U-S Army Biological Chemical Command provides
technical expertise, as army official Ivy Roberson
(ROBE-er-son) explains. The Army helps with "decon,"
or decontamination.
/// ROBERSON ACT ///
We're one of the agencies that has expertise in
biological and chemical warfare agents, how to
decontaminate, how to mitigate that threat, how
to treat casualties and so forth. But our main
concern here today is to make sure that the city
understands and exercises its capabilities on
how to respond to an incident such as this.
/// END ACT ///
The hazardous materials team of U-S Federal Bureau of
Investigation will assist with evidence-gathering.
But by 11 o'clock on the morning of the exercise, the
Long Beach Police Department's Special Weapons Team is
on the trail of the terrorists. Janet Blair is a
spokeswoman for the department.
/// BLAIR ACT ///
Right at this point, we have deployed our SWAT
plus our canine bloodhounds. We are obtain a
scent from the phone booth where the potential
terrorists made a phone call. We'll be tracking
that scent, hopefully locating a possible
suspect within the decon (decontaminated) area
eventually.
/// END ACT ///
/// END OPT ///
By the time the three-hour exercise is finished, local
police have caught their suspect. Participants are
debriefed, and police and fire officials, victims and
terrorists sit down together for lunch at the port of
Long Beach.
Officials say this simulated terrorist incident is
realistic. A chemical weapons attack has never
happened in the United States, but if it does,
preparedness is essential. (Signed)
Neb/MO/TVM/gm
26-Apr-2000 17:56 PM EDT (26-Apr-2000 2156 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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