New York City to Test Ways to Prevent Nuclear Terror
... no doubt while many protest that we aren't at war, so why bother, or that since it doesn't provide perfect protection, there's not point. I edited those bits for the sake of my own blood pressure.
New York City is about to become a laboratory to test ways of strengthening the nations defenses against a terror attack by a nuclear device or a radioactive dirty bomb. Starting this spring, the Bush administration will assess new detection machines at a Staten Island port terminal that are designed to screen cargo and automatically distinguish between naturally occurring radiation and critical bomb-building ingredients. Later this year, the federal government plans to begin setting up an elaborate network of radiation alarms at some bridges, tunnels, roadways and waterways into New York, creating a 50-mile circle around the city.
The effort, which could be expanded to other cities if proven successful, is a major shift of focus for the Department of Homeland Security. As it finishes installing the first generation of radiation scanners at the nations ports and land border crossings, the department is trying to find ways to stop a plot that would use a weapon built within the United States.
Posted by: trailing wife 2007-02-10 |