Emergency Agencies Practice Response To Nuclear Explosion In Times Square
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- The New York City region's emergency agencies are practicing for a disaster.
The city's Office of Emergency Management ran a training exercise Wednesday that simulated a response to a 10-kiloton nuclear device exploding at 42nd Street and Seventh Avenue in Times Square, WCBS 880's Rich Lamb reported.
According to the exercise, 100,000 people were instantly killed; a wave of overpressure took down buildings for a half-mile radius and did damage for up to two miles; and a radiation cloud swept over the region.
Emergency Agencies Practice Response To Nuclear Explosion In Times Square
The drill's scenario also included a shutdown of subway service and interruptions to cellphone service.
The city agency practiced rehearsing communications with the federal government and local law enforcement agencies in the Tri-State area.
"We would have to get that message to speak with one voice, with our partners in Connecticut, in Jersey, in the state of New York," OEM Commissioner Joe Esposito said.
The agency also rehearsed how it would get word to the public during the crisis.
Esposito said the blast would produce an electromagnetic pulse, disrupting much of communications, Lamb reported.
"What's the message? Shelter in place, evacuate, seek medical aid. How would we do that? Social media, if it's up and running. We know a lot of this is going to be down for a time period, so we know that a big part of it would be radios," Esposito said. "The best thing would be portable radios."
Officials stressed that while not everything can be predicted in a disaster, the training exercises are vital practice.
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