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Cities ponder where terrorists may strike

By Mike Fish
CNN.com

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Commercial jetliners commandeered by suicide bombers. Letters with traces of anthrax surfacing in the postal system. Until September 11, these deadly schemes were mostly the fantasy of Hollywood scriptwriters.

Now, experts at every level of government -- as well as in the private sector -- have been on full alert, spending time and money to help protect the public and the nation's critical infrastructure from terrorist attack. Some of the costs have gone to guard energy supplies, water resources, bridges and tunnels, waterways and airports. Improving the public health system has become a priority, as has protecting food supplies.

Sleepless nights have been spent pondering where terrorists might strike again. Where are we most vulnerable? What are the issues?

"It is almost a suspended state of anxiety right now, waiting for the next shoe to drop," said John Timoney, police commissioner in Philadelphia. "We may, in fact, be better off when the next shoe drops, though I hope it never does. But then, we can say it is over and know what it is.

"You can just speculate now, and the only place you can look to is Israel. So you see these bombings at discotheques and pizza parlors. It's like the anthrax. While it's only small cases, it goes to the heart of daily activity. It's not just the postal workers, but everybody opens their mail on a daily basis."

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Experts say the aim of terrorists is to strike fear and panic, whether it is the threat of biological weapons or the bombing of large public buildings.

Congress is holding hearings on the threat of biological weapons and the National Governors Association estimates states could spend $4 billion this year on homeland security -- with $3 billion devoted to bioterrorism preparedness and emergency communications and the remainder spent guarding critical infrastructure.

Some measures had been addressed before September 11, but the issues and level of preparedness continue to vary by city.

Training/planning

Experts maintain the level of preparedness for a terrorist attack increased after the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. But training is still needed to improve the nation's ability to respond to an attack.

"Dwight Eisenhower said it a long time ago: 'Plans are useless, but planning is essential,'" said Dennis Mileti, co-director of the Natural Hazard Research and Application Center at the University of Colorado. "You can have the best plan on the planet, but if no one has read it, it is not going to help.

"Every potential problem you face in a post-impact period needs to be identified," Mileti added. "What organizations need be involved in emergency response and what is the role of the different groups, including volunteers? What cooperative agreements need be put in place between organizations? Have all the players been trained so they know how to do their jobs. Is training and exercising ongoing?"

In most places the answer is yes.

And yet while domestic terrorism was the No. 1 topic of discussion at the recent annual meeting of the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM), there remains concern about a lack of uniform standards.

"In determining the overall preparedness and readiness of communities there is no one national standard or benchmark yet," said Steve Charvat, past president of the IAEM and Mitigation and Disaster Recovery manager for Washington, D.C.

"If I'm a rural fire department or a major city police department, I can't go to a catalogue and say, 'Here are all the approved gas masks, level A suits and so forth.' Because nobody has set the standards in terms of what will protect you from this chemical agent vs. that biological agent. So right now there are still lots of people guessing about what the best practices are."

Water supplies

How at risk are the nation's water-treatment plants to a terrorist contaminating supplies with chemicals? Although facilities are on high alert and chlorination has routinely been increased as a precaution, most experts don't see this as a major vulnerability.

Simple dilution, itself, is a logical first defense against attack.

"A lot of us can handle it because of bacteriological problems we may have had in the past, when chlorine didn't work quite right and you get bad water samples somewhere," said James Sullivan, chief engineer of the Boston water system and president of the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies. "We already know how to isolate our system and control real quickly.

"Now, it's really a matter of working closely with our health departments and EPA, finding out what other exotic chemicals can be put I that couldn't be diluted. What is in our favor is our dilution factor and the treatment plants take out a lot of stuff."

Computer networks

The country's readiness for potential computer network problems was advanced during the exhaustive preparation for a Y2K bug that never surfaced. But the potential fallout from cyber-terrorism is an ever more frightening thought.

Because of our increasing reliance on computer systems -- which now have a role in everything from air transportation and the financial markets to telephone systems and the electrical power grid -- governments and the private sector have paid extra attention to security measures since September 11.

"Cyber-terrorism is just something we have to think about," said Bob Andrews, president of the International Association of Emergency Managers, who noted that teen-agers have been able to hack into computer systems. "Think about the professionals that give some serious thought to it and what the consequences could be. Having some safety measures and backup measures in place is important, because we are so dependent upon that technology."

Nuclear power plants

The primary concern among analysts isn't the fear of a nuclear explosion from a plane striking a reactor, but rather, the potential of death from radiation exposure. The exposure, as was the case after the 1986 explosion in Chernobyl, would force evacuation and render thousands of acres unsafe for years.

Already on high alert, security has been ratcheted up since September 11. National Guard troops have been deployed at some reactors. And air traffic over all sites is being restricted.

"It's a serious issue," said Kyle Olson, vice president of Community Research Associates, a consulting firm that helps public and private agencies prepare for terrorism.

"Keep in mind if you slam a big airliner into a nuclear plant and it hits it right, you don't just crack the tower or vessel," Olson said. "I had a guy characterize it for me the other day as all of a sudden you have a 10,000-foot high plume of radioactive smoke, much worse than Chernobyl."

Public places

Attendance is down at tourist attractions. Las Vegas officials want to keep the high rollers and conventioneers coming. And cities such as Philadelphia and Boston have historic sites to protect.

The first step is making people feel safe, and that comes with a police or law enforcement presence.

"Don't underestimate a uniform presence," said Timoney, the Philadelphia police commissioner. "It keeps up public confidence. I have told the cops, 'I want you out there, but not just standing. I want you looking like you know what you're doing, checking cars that go by, questioning people.'"