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L.A. Disaster Drill: Terrorist Attack After Earthquake

Monday, April 16, 2007

LOS ANGELES, Apr. 16, 2007 (none) -- Three days of large-scale disaster preparedness exercises will begin Tuesday with the scenario of a terrorist attack in the wake of an earthquake, officials said.

The California National Guard will host the interstate and interagency exercises, which will be conducted at major landmarks throughout Los Angeles, a guard official said.

Tuesday's exercise will simulate a terrorist cell taking advantage of the chaos and devastation caused by a large earthquake.

On Wednesday, first responders will deal with a simulated chemical attack over the Hollywood Hills and a simulated attack on a cruise ship, which will be portrayed by a U.S. Coast Guard cutter.

The final day of exercises will be conducted at Universal Studios, where teams will handle a simulated crash between two airliners.

Hazmat teams from the Los Angeles police and county sheriff's departments, as well as coroner's investigators and medical crews, will participate in the exercise. FBI and National Guard teams from Colorado and Nevada will also be included.

"This exercise will highlight the National Guard's ability to work closely with local emergency responders to effectively identify, contain and minimize the impact of a chemical weapons attack," 2nd Lt. Theresa Chrystal of the National Guard said.

Despite the drastic nature of the simulated attacks, the exercises should go largely unnoticed by the public, Chrystal said.

"I know there has been a lot of concern expressed that people would be panicked, seeing rising columns of smoke, but there's not going to be any pyrotechnics," Chrystal said. "It's not going to shut down any freeways, it's not going to have any bells and whistles. This is just an exercise."

During the exercise, responding agencies will be given performance evaluations, she said.

This exercise will likely be the first in a series of similar events, all designed to promote interagency cooperation during a disaster or attack, Chrystal said.

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