White House runs roadside bomb emergency response drill | 02.26.2007 | 09:52:44 | Views: 5466 | ID: February 26 '07: Top level White House officials ran an emergency response exercise to test the Bush administration's ability to communicate and respond to a roadside bomb attack in the U.S., the Associated Press reported. The three-hour exercise was supervised by White House homeland security advisor Frances Townsend - President Bush did not participate in the exercise however. The roadside bomb simulation was based on the real-life improvised explosive devices used by Iraqi insurgents. Townsend told the AP she and the Homeland Security Council designed the drill to simulate ten simultaneous roadside bomb attacks around the country "using a combination of large and small towns." Officials said they have learned much from recent disasters such as Hurricane Katrina and that they performed well. "For instance," the AP reported, "coordination with state and local authorities and the ability to get federal resources in place quickly ... appeared much better now." The IED response drill was the fourth "tabletop" drill the administration has practiced. Officials told the AP that they would spend the following weeks analyzing the results to find gaps in preparedness and response.
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