NewsMine — deceptions — eastern-blackout — Viewing Item

Homeland security teams ready with blackout Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)    http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/news/6535526.htm http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/news/6535526.htm Posted on Thu, Aug. 14, 2003 Homeland Security teams ready to assist with blackout BY G. ROBERT HILLMAN The Dallas Morning News WASHINGTON - (KRT) - The new Department of Homeland Security, facing its first widespread crisis, summoned its emergency support teams to deal with the power outage across the East but never deployed them, a department spokesman said Thursday night. "They were activated and alerted, and they're still ready to go," Brian Roehrkasse said. "However, we've had no requests for federal assistance." Additionally, he said, the mammoth department's Federal Emergency Management Agency and border and transportation protection units received no urgent requests for additional help. Roehrkasse said the department's Washington command center was quickly alerted to the power problems and, at first, "it was unclear what may have caused the outage." Security officials had all but ruled out terrorism in the "first couple of hours," he said. "This most likely was because of a power system failure and overload on the grid," he said. "However, we still do not have the specific details as to what caused it." Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge was in Washington, Roehrkasse said, and conferred with President Bush, who was in California, and the president's chief of staff, Andrew Card, who was in Maine. Also, the White House Situation Room, which helps coordinate crisis management for the president, convened a videoconference with the necessary federal agencies, White House spokeswoman Claire Buchan said. "The organization of Homeland Security is aimed at quick communications with the state and local authorities," Bush told reporters traveling with him in California, "and I think that communication was quick and thorough." In New York, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said he had also talked with Card, who offered whatever federal assistance was needed. The mayor said he didn't ask for any. "We believe that our internal capacity is adequate to maintain public safety," he told reporters in New York. "Everybody has been as helpful as you could possibly ask them to be." Nonetheless, Homeland Security and myriad other federal agencies, still mindful of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, were quick to activate emergency response plans. The federal go-teams alerted in Washington included airborne communications, health and other units - all designed to establish mobile federal command posts, Roehrkasse said. Within an hour or so of the outage, the department had issued a short statement indicating no early evidence of terrorism. "The Department of Homeland Security is working with state and local officials and the energy sector to determine the cause of the outage, as well as what response measures may be needed," the statement said. Other agencies were quick to issue reassurance as well. The Treasury Department said some automated teller machines had shut down because of a lack of power, but there were no reports of any major disruptions to the nation's sprawling banking system. The Department of Energy said it had initiated some of its emergency "contingency" procedures. And the Nuclear Regulatory Commission reported it was monitoring more than a half-dozen nuclear power plants that had to shut down in New York, New Jersey, Ohio and Michigan. "Slowly but surely, we're coping with this massive national problem," Bush said. --- © 2003, The Dallas Morning News. Visit The Dallas Morning News on the World Wide Web at http://www.dallasnews.com Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services.

15 minute outage college park { August 14 2003 } 50 million affected Air traffic control 30 second power failure { August 17 2003 } Alqaida claims responsibility for blackout { August 18 2003 } Blackout affecting parts metro detroit { August 14 2003 } Bush says not terrorism { August 15 2003 } Canada blames lightning Cia possibility terrorist tempering Consumers to pay 50m to update grid { August 17 2003 } Deregulation makes electric grid complex web Excuse for more deregulation { September 3 2003 } Fire destabalized grid { August 15 2003 } Fire edison plant manhattan { August 14 2003 } Fire florida substation Fire in pennsylvania nuclear plant Fire manhattan generator { August 14 2003 } Firstenergy assigned blackout blame Homeland security passed blackout test { August 19 2003 } Homeland security teams alerted Homeland security teams ready with blackout Huge power blackouts ny detroit { August 14 2003 } Human error cause of blackout { August 27 2003 } Italy has blackout Lodon outage lack of funding London loses power Major power outage Maryland schools open power back { August 29 2003 } Northeast blackout fire coned transformer Ny power outages not terrorism { August 14 2003 } Officials blame ohio Power2 [jpg] Simultaneaous faults caused england power out { August 29 2003 } System crash was predicted { August 15 2003 } Taskforce points the finger over blackout { November 19 2003 } Terror not ruled out Thats why no electricity in baghdad Traffic agent wrote tickets { August 20 2003 } Uk firm cleared in blackout Unconfirmed reports major fire { August 14 2003 } University maryland power outage Us canada argue over cause Utility deregulation possible villain { August 16 2003 } Files Listed: 42

Correction/submissions

CIA FOIA Archive

National Security Archives

This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information, go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purpose of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.