In the event of a catastrophic terrorist attack, West Virginia would be in the evacuation path of nearly 5 million Baltimore and Washington area residents.
In such an event, James Spears, cabinet secretary of the West Virginia Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety, says his department’s emergency planning is leading the nation.
He compared the Mountain State to the “little engine that could” in his comments to the West Virginia Press Association, at their annual conference Friday.
Spears said Washington emergency management officials were shaken up by Hurricane Katrina’s effect on New Orleans and began imagining what would happen if a major emergency requiring evacuation occurred in the nation’s capital.
Spears said that the current plan is to encourage displaced people to continue evacuation until they get to Ohio.
“That doesn’t get us off the hook,” Spears said, adding that local governments will likely play a key role as the planning process continues.
Information from: The Journal, http://journal-news.net/
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