Chicago Not Prepared Locally To Deal With Terrorism Or Emergency Evacuations - Downtown Maybe, Neighborhoods NO !Local tourist sites and highly populated neighborhoods are not prepared for the type of emergency situations like the bomb threat in NY. Out of all the people that the media and ofificials have had to thank, they excluded the grace of God. Had it not been for the grace of God, the street vendors would not have had the time it had to notify police and their response had it not been for the wrong combination of explosive fertilizer and missing pieces that stopped it from its desired intent for major damage.This brings to mind the fact that I can only remember emergency excercises being conducted in downtown Chicago, but I do not recall ANY such excercises that have shown people in local neighborhoods how to respond and communicate through these type emergencies. There are more and more tourist attractions being developed close to downtown and yet if we poll thousands of local community groups across this city today, they will tell you that even with the downtown emergency excercises that their local groups have not had official training in how to communicate at the local level to any major threats.Now as usual, is you ask Mayor Daley or Chicago Police Chief Jody Weis are Chicago neighborhoods prepared for how to communicate and respond to major evacuations, threats, or other major emergency situations that may be a threat to local people in the neighborhoods. If you just examine what happens in local neighborhoods when there are major weather related black outs, you cannot follow websites, or emergency broadcast signals if your power is out. And when people are without power for significant periods of time, how does local emergency officials know where there are local residents who are in homes and lives may be lost because they have lost power to their life saving machines?Are there local communication systems in each local Ward by which P.A. systems can go and let people know how much time they can expect in each area for when there power may be restored which help relieve local fears? Are local Block club leaders empowered with local walkie-talkies to be in contact with various emergency officials by which that designated person can communicate with local residents wiuth instructions and information? When the power goes out, does the Mayor and all just assume that all local homes have fully charged cell phones, and battery operated TV's and radios for emergency communication?I do remember former Chicago Fire and Emergency Management Chief Cortez Trotter being on local talk radio some time ago regarding new private efforts that he was working with in terms of better preparing Chicago residents on how to handle themselves in major emegencies, but this NY incident was the remionder for me that I have have not heard of any follow up besides those downtown excercises, of any local neighborhood training.
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