nuclear-news

Nuclear radiological attack will find USA cities unprepared

U.S. Cities Unprepared to Deal with Large-Scale Nuclear, Radiological Attack Washington Free Beacon 1 Oct 13 Watchdog group says federal government has offered little guidance to major cities Major U.S. cities lack the capabilities and know-how to effectively deal with the fallout from a large-scale nuclear and radiological attack by terrorists, according to the government’s top watchdog group.

The federal government has conducted “limited” planning and offered little guidance to major cities that are vulnerable to either a radiological or nuclear attack, according to a Monday report issued by the Government Accountability Office (GAO).

The disorganization and lack of preparedness could lead to a “disjointed” emergency response, increasing “the consequences,” fatalities, and economic toll of such a disaster, the report said.

These potentially catastrophic “gaps in early response abilities warrant federal attention,” the GAO said.

Most major cities admitted that while local emergency personnel could scramble to treat victims, they remain uncertain about how exactly to deal with such an attack and whether the federal government would come to their assistance.

There is currently “limited federal planning guidance related to the early response capabilities needed by cities for the large attack depicted in the national planning scenarios,” the GAO reported.

The GAO recommends that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) “develop guidance to clarify the early response capabilities needed by cities for RDD [radiological dispersion device] and IND [improvised nuclear device] attacks.”……….

“10 of those cities were perceived as not being able to conduct any of the response activities for an [nuclear] attack without federal assistance.”

FEMA maintains that federal guidance would not be necessary despite the apparent lack of preparation and coordination with the federal government, according to the report………..

The GAO is warning congressional leaders that much more preparation and coordination is needed.

“A disjointed or untimely response could put many additional lives at risk, increase economic consequences, and undermine the public’s confidence in the federal, state, and local governments’ ability to respond to such a crisis,” the GAO wrote in a Monday letter to Sen. Tom Carper (D., Del.), chairman of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. http://freebeacon.com/u-s-cities-unprepared-to-deal-with-large-scale-nuclear-radiological-attack/

October 2, 2013 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | safety, USA